Marlins sign switch-hitting infielder Neil Walker to 1-year contract, DFA reliever Nick Wittgren
Neil Walker, 33, has a career average of .268 in 1,173 games between Pittsburgh (2009-’15), the Mets (2016-’17), Milwaukee (2017), and the Yankees (2018), compiling 216 doubles, 21 triples, 141 home runs, and 568 RBI.
MIAMI – The Miami Marlins today announced that the club has signed infielder Neil Walker to a one-year contract for the 2019 season.
A 10-year Major League veteran, the switch-hitting Walker, 33, has a career average of .268 in 1,173 games between Pittsburgh (2009-’15), the Mets (2016-’17), Milwaukee (2017), and the Yankees (2018), compiling 216 doubles, 21 triples, 141 home runs, and 568 RBI.
Walker has reached double-digit home run totals in nine consecutive seasons dating back to 2010, one of just six active infielders with a streak that long, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He hit 11 for the Yankees last season, and reached his career high of 23 in 2014 with Pittsburgh (won NL Silver Slugger award) and 2016 with the Mets.
He ranks seventh among active switch hitters in home runs (see chart at right), hitting 126 from the left side and 15 from the right. His career average batting left handed is .272 (886x3262), while his right-handed mark is .255 (241x945).
Walker, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has spent a majority of his career at second base, playing in 1,040 games (1,002 starts) and posting a .988 fielding percentage. He has also appeared in 59 games (42 starts) at first base, 44 (34) at third base, and 16 (12) in the outfield. In 2018 with the Yankees, he appeared in 42 games (34 starts) at first base, 32 (27) at second base, 25 (17) at third base, and played the outfield at the Major League level for the first time in his career.
In a corresponding roster move, the Marlins have designated RHP Nick Wittgren for assignment.
