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| Walker, who failed to advance to the Major League, hit 13 home runs for the Yomiuri Giants in 2023. Photo capture = Adam Walker SNS |
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| Walker was traded from Yomiuri to Softbank at the end of the 2023 season. Photo capture = Adam Walker SNS |
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| Walker ended the season after failing to return after canceling his first-team registration at the end of April last year. Photo capture = Adam Walker SNS |
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Adam Walker (34), an outfielder who was released by the Softbank Hawks, is invincible with the opening of the season just around the corner. It's understandable that he didn't show much last year when he moved from the Yomiuri Giants to Softbank. In 2024, the third year of Japanese professional baseball, he played in 20 games with a batting average of 169-11 hits, one home run, and three RBIs. The first team registration was canceled on April 30 due to poor batting, starting as the seventh designated hitter in the opening game. After that, he ended the season without returning to the first team.
In 2024, expectations were high. He hit five home runs in the exhibition game. 1m96-104kg. Power from his imposing physique is good. He topped the home run in the exhibition game. He hit his first home run of the season in Game 3 of the opening series against the Orix Buffaloes. But this home run became the last home run. In the end, he couldn't get out of the mire of poor batting.
Walker wore the Kansas City Royals uniform as a third round pick in the 2012 MLB Rookie Draft. He hit more than 25 home runs every year in the minor leagues. However, he has never been able to show his natural power in the major leagues. He moved to Japan after moving between the minor league and the independent league. The contact ability was severely insufficient, and the strikeout rate was around 40%.
A foreign player who failed to renew his contract drew attention by participating in a victory trip to Hawaii. Softbank ranked first in the Pacific League last year for the first time in four years. After falling behind Orix for three consecutive years, he returned to the top with an overwhelming performance. However, he won two consecutive games against the Yokohama BayStars in the Japan Series and then lost four in a row. After a shock defeat, he went on a league-winning trip.
Walker accompanied his girlfriend on the winning trip. Post a photo of her proposing to a Japanese female fitness trainer on a beach in Hawaii on her SNS account
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| Adam Walker proposing to his girlfriend during his winning trip to Hawaii. Photo capture = Adam Walker SNS |
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| Walker who hit a home run and performed a ceremony with his teammates during his Yomiuri days. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS |
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It became a hot topic.
Walker has become the talk of the town once again. On the 24th, he posted a job search on his SNS account. I attached the results of Japanese professional baseball. He said 'I don't have any work at the moment. I like Japan very much. I want to play in Japan again this year.' It is a job search activity using very unusual SNS.
He seems to have decided that it is difficult to go straight to the professional team with his ability. Walker mentioned the Japanese Independent League, saying, `Can I play in the BC League?' In other words, he sent a love call to BC League club officials. The BC League is an independent league operated mainly in Kanto regions such as Saitama, Kanagawa, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Gunma Prefecture. A total of eight teams are participating.
Walker has shown his affection for Japanese baseball and Japan. During the Softbank victory trip "After three years, I became very fond of Japan and made good memories. I think I can still do it as a player. I want to play baseball in Japan if possible."
In Walker, Japan is a special place where it has tasted success. He played 124 games in his first year as a member of the Yomiuri Giants in 2023 and played well. batting average of 0.271-110 hits-23 home runs-52 RBIs. He showed his presence in a league where foreign hitters are difficult to stand out. It was also popular among fans.
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| Walker, who moved to Softbank, had only one home run last year. Photo capture = Adam Walker SNS |
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However, 2023's performance fell sharply. He played in 57 games and had a batting average of 0.263-31 hits, six home runs, and 20 RBIs. He was traded to Softbank in the offseason of that year.
Will Walker's dream of returning to Japan come true.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
