Marcus Walter Walden (born September 13, 1988) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

who is a free agent. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

(MLB) for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

. He made his MLB debut during 2018 after a decade of minor and independent league baseball. He both throws and bats right-handed, and is listed at and .

Career

Walden attended Central High School in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

, and

Fresno City College Fresno City College (FCC or "Fresno City") is a public community college in Fresno, California. It is part of the State Center Community College District within the California Community Colleges system. Fresno City College operates on a semester ...

Toronto Blue Jays

The

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

selected Walden in the ninth round of the

2007 MLB draft The 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players and was held on June 7, 2007 and June 8, 2007. The first day session of the draft included the fir ...

After pitching with Toronto's Rookie League and

Class A Short-Season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

teams during 2007 and 2008, Walden missed most of the 2009 season and the entire 2010 season due to shoulder and elbow injuries that required surgeries, including

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

. He returned to pitch for several Toronto

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

s during the 2011 through 2014 seasons, ultimately being promoted to the Triple-A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen F ...

. The Blue Jays promoted Walden to the major leagues in April 2014, but they

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

him back to the minor leagues five days later without using him in a major league game. Six days later, Walden was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

by the Blue Jays.

Oakland Athletics

Walden was claimed off of waivers by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

in April 2014, and he spent the remainder of the season with Oakland's Double-A and Triple-A teams. In 2015, Walden signed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

organization and began the season with the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

of the Double-A Southern League. He was released, and signed with the

Lancaster Barnstormers The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an United States, American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

, an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball and is outside the Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated to it. The Northern League (baseball, 19 ...

Minnesota Twins

Walden signed with the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

organization for the 2016 season. He split time between their Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, appearing in a combined 42 games with a 2.40 ERA and 1.065

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

with six saves and 40

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is den ...

s in innings pitched.

Boston Red Sox

In December 2016, Walden signed with the Boston Red Sox. He pitched for the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

during the 2017 season, pitching innings in 29 games (15 starts) with a 10–6 record, 3.92 ERA, and 1.306 WHIP while recording 86 strikeouts and 36

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

s. After pitching effectively during

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...

, Walden was named to the

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

25-man roster for the 2018 Boston Red Sox, expected to be the

long reliever A long reliever or long-relief pitcher is a relief pitcher in baseball who enters the game if the starting pitcher leaves the game early. Long relievers often enter in the first three innings of a game when the starting pitcher cannot continue, w ...

for rookie manager

Alex Cora Jose Alexander Cora (born October 18, 1975) is a Puerto Rican baseball manager and former infielder who is the manager of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for 14 seasons with the Red Sox, Los Angele ...

. Walden made his major league debut on April 1, pitching innings of relief against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

, giving up no runs and one hit while facing five batters. On April 14, he earned his first save, pitching three innings of relief in a 10–3 win over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

. He was sent down to the Triple-A

before the end of the month, was recalled very briefly in early May, and then spent the remainder of the season in the minors. With Boston, he appeared in a total of eight games with a 0–0 record and one save, while recording a 3.68 ERA and 14 strikeouts in innings. In 2019, Walden was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket prior to Opening Day. He was called up on April 6, when

Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. In 1980, after the death of Bon Scott, he became the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC. He and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Rol ...

was placed on the

injured list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

, and recorded his first MLB win the next day, pitching two innings of scoreless relief in a 1–0 win over the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

. He was optioned back to Pawtucket effective on April 16, then recalled to Boston on April 19. Overall with the 2019 Red Sox, Walden appeared in 70 games, compiling a 9–2 record with 3.81 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 78 innings. In 2020, Walden was on Boston's active roster at the delayed start of the season. He was optioned to the team's alternate training site on August 19, and recalled on September 3. Overall with the 2020 Red Sox, Walden appeared in 15 games, all in relief, compiling an 0–2 record with 9.45 ERA and 10 strikeouts in innings pitched. On February 24, 2021, Walden was designated for assignment by the Red Sox after the signing of

Marwin González Marwin Javier González (born March 14, 1989) is a Venezuelan professional baseball utility player for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). González was signed as an international free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 2005. He ...

was made official. On March 1, Walden was outrighted to Triple-A and invited to spring training as a non-roster invitee. In 27 appearances for the Triple-A

Worcester Red Sox The Worcester Red Sox (nicknamed the WooSox) are a professional minor league baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Beginning play in 2021, the team is the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, succeeding the Pawtucket Red Sox. The ...

, Walden recorded a 5-3 record with a 4.01 ERA and 40 strikeouts. On August 7, 2021, Walden was released by the Red Sox.

Chicago Cubs

On August 19, 2021, Walden signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Gastonia Honey Hunters

On April 20, 2022, Walden signed with the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the

Milwaukee Brewers

On June 23, 2022, Walden signed a minor league deal with the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. On December 16, Walden was released.

Personal life

Walden and his wife, Nichole, have two daughters, Sutton and Palmer. Walden and two

business partner A business partner is a commercial entity with which another commercial entity has some form of alliance. This relationship may be a contractual, exclusive bond in which both entities commit not to ally with third parties. Alternatively, it may be ...

s opened the DIB Baseball Academy in Fresno in 2015.

References

External links

Biography
at DIB Baseball Academy {{DEFAULTSORT:Walden, Marcus 1988 births Living people Auburn Doubledays players Baseball players from California Boston Red Sox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chattanooga Lookouts players Dunedin Blue Jays players Fresno City Rams baseball players Gastonia Honey Hunters players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Lancaster Barnstormers players Lansing Lugnuts players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland RockHounds players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Pawtucket Red Sox players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento River Cats players Sportspeople from Fresno, California Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Worcester Red Sox players Iowa Cubs players Nashville Sounds players