In this series, I will look at each player who played in 1981, the year I was born. Because, why not?
Chico Walker has no cards with the Boston Red Sox. This, despite the fact that he was a top prospect and spent parts of four seasons in Boston. It is true that his high was 19 games and he never played in more than six in any of the other seasons in Boston, but there were players with fewer games played that received cards, like Dave Schmidt and Roger LaFrancois.
Walker also did not get much of a chance with Boston. He was drafted in the 22nd round of the 1976 draft, but showed some ability and promise, particularly in the speed department. In the first year he made the Majors, Walker hit .272/.325/.377 with eight home runs and 21 stolen bases. He got his first taste of the Majors in 1980, playing in 19 games and hitting .211/.292/.263 with his first home run and three stolen bases.
1981 saw Walker back at Pawtucket and he had an extremely impressive season. He hit .277/.336/.430 with 17 home runs, 68 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. He was rewarded with another call-up to Boston. In six games, he had six hits in 17 at-bats.
Despite the success of the previous season, he was back in the minors again in 1982 and this time did not make it to Boston. His numbers declined to .251/.330/.395 with 15 home runs, 66 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. He was still just 24 though. In 1983, his numbers improved a bit to .269/.366/.437 with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He had a quick four-game stint in Boston and hit .400. 1984 was Walker's last season in the Red Sox organization and he had a very similar year, hitting .269/.366/.437 with 18 home runs, 56 RBIs and 27 stolen bases. He made it back to Boston for three games, but had no hits.
Walker was granted free agency after the season and caught on with the Cubs. His career numbers in Boston were a line of .247/.308/.333 with one home run, nine RBIs and three stolen bases in 32 games. He spent the next few seasons making occasional appearances in the Majors with the Cubs and Angels. It was not until 1991 that he finally made an impact at the Major League level, though even that was as more of a utility player. He had his best season in 1992, hitting .308/.369/.423 with the Mets.
So, why did Walker stagnate in the minors for so long? Certainly, the Red Sox could have used some speed in their lineup in the early 1980's. The team was mostly a station-to-station offense at the time, with the exception of Jerry Remy, when he was healthy. He was not really blocked at the Major League level, particularly in 1982 where Walker could have played over Rick Miller, a fine defensive outfielder, but who had a 75 OPS+. Walker could also play second base. Certainly, his versatility and speed could have been an asset.
So what happened? I guess we have no idea. Could it have been racial? Almost certainly. The Red Sox historically have had some issues with that kind of thing and the early 1980's saw them becoming very monochromatic, with only Jim Rice at the Major League level. Black players often had difficulty breaking through due to systemic racism, and that certainly could have been a factor. Lee Graham had the same issue.
I really did not intend for this post to go this direction, but here we are.
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