Adam Brett Walker II (born October 18, 1991) 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

designated hitter The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher. Unlike other players in a team's lineup, they generally only play as an offensive player and usually do not play defense as ...

for the Kanagawa Future Dreams of the

Baseball Challenge League The Route Inn BCL, formerly known as the , is an independent minor baseball league in Japan. The league's abbreviated designation is "." League structure The 72-game season runs from April–October, split into two half-terms, with the divisio ...

(BCL). He has previously played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

and

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. They compete in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as a member of the Pacific League. Founded on February 22, 1938, as the Nankai Club, being the first Kansai t ...

. He was drafted by 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

in the 3rd round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

Amateur career

A native of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Walker played college baseball at

Jacksonville University Jacksonville University (JU) is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Located in the city's Arlington (Jacksonville), Arlington district, the school was founded in 1934 as a two-year college and was known as Jacksonvill ...

. In 2011, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

with the

Hyannis Harbor Hawks The Hyannis Harbor Hawks, formerly the Hyannis Mets, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hyannis, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Harbor Hawks play ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

Professional career

Minnesota Twins

Walker was drafted in the 3rd round, 97th overall, by the

in the

2012 Major League Baseball Draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. He signed with the Twins on June 17, receiving a signing bonus of $490,400. Walker made his professional debut for the rookie-level

Elizabethton Twins The Elizabethton Twins were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They were located in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and were named for their Major League Baseball, major league aff ...

and hit 14 home runs in 58 games. In 2013, Walker played in 129 games for the Single-A

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium (Cedar Rapids), Veter ...

, batting .278/.319/.526 with 27 home runs and 109 runs batted in. He played for the High-A

Fort Myers Miracle The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Fort Myers, Florida, and play their home games at the Lee County Sports Complex at ...

the following year, posting a slash of .246/.307/.436 with 25 home runs and 94 runs batted-in, in 132 contests. In 2015, Walker played for the Double-A

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...

, hitting .239/.309/.498 with a career-high 31 home runs and 106 runs batted in during 133 games. After the 2015 season, Walker was ranked #10 on Minnesota's top 30 prospects list. On November 20, 2015, the Twins added Walker to the 40-man roster to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Walker spent the 2016 campaign with the Triple-A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, hitting .243/.305/.479 with 27 home runs and 75 runs batted in across 132 games for the team.

Atlanta Braves

On November 18, 2016, Walker was claimed off waivers by the

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

. On November 28, the Brewers designated Walker for assignment. On December 2, Walker was claimed off waivers by the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) 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 America ...

. On January 20, 2017, the Orioles designated Walker for assignment. On January 26, Walker was claimed off waivers by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

. On January 31, he was outrighted off of the 40-man roster. Walker began 2017 with the Triple-A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

, but hit just .128/.205/.282 in 10 games before he was demoted to the Double-A

Mississippi Braves The Mississippi Braves, or M-Braves as they were referred to locally, were a Minor League Baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, from 2005 to 2024. They were the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and competed in ...

. Walker hit .122/.182/.388 in 14 contests before he was released by the Braves organization on May 9.

Baltimore Orioles

On May 10, 2017, Walker signed a minor league contract with the

organization. Walker was assigned to the Double-A

Bowie Baysox The Chesapeake Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. From 1993 to 2024, th ...

and in 12 games hit .426/.449/.915 with 6 home runs and 12 runs batted in for the team before he was promoted to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

. After limping to an .090/.090/.164 line in 18 games for Norfolk, he was released by the Orioles on July 23.

Cincinnati Reds

On August 4, 2017, Walker signed a minor league contract with the

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

organization. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

, where he would spend the rest of the season, hitting .207/.275/.370 in 25 appearances. He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Kansas City T-Bones

On April 23, 2018, Walker signed with the

Kansas City T-Bones The Kansas City Monarchs are a professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Kansas. Formerly known as the Kansas City T-Bones, they are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball; which, in 2020, became designated as a Majo ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

Walker ended up playing in 3 games for the T-Bones, getting 2 hits in 11 at-bats.

Washington Nationals

On May 23, 2018, Walker signed a minor league deal with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

. Walker was assigned to the Double-A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...

and posted a slash of .200/.324/.383 in 41 contests. He elected free agency following the season on November 2.

Milwaukee Milkmen

On April 2, 2019, Walker signed with the

Milwaukee Milkmen The Milwaukee Milkmen are an independent baseball team based in Franklin, Wisconsin. They are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. They began play in 2019 and play ho ...

of the American Association. He played in 98 games for the Milkmen in 2019, carrying a .249/.299/.478 batting mark. On February 12, 2020, Walker re-signed with the Milkmen for the 2020 season. Walker hit .268/.320/.609 with 22 home runs and 50 runs batted in across in 57 games with the Milkmen and would go on to win the American Association championship with the team. Following the season, Walker was named the American Association player of the year. In 2021, Walker played in 101 games for the Milkmen, and clubbed a league-leading 33 home runs with 101 runs batted in and a slash of .320/.369/.636. Following the year, Walker was named the American Association player of the year for the second consecutive season, becoming the first player in American Association history to win the Most Valuable Player award in back-to-back seasons.

Yomiuri Giants

On December 15, 2021, Walker signed with the

(NPB). He made his NPB debut on March 26, 2022. In 124 games for the team, he batted .271/.306/.515 with 23 home runs and 52 RBI. Walker played in 57 games for Yomiuri in 2023, hitting .263/.275/.483 with 6 home runs and 20 RBI.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks

On November 5, 2023, Walker was traded to the

in exchange for Keisuke Izumi and Rei Takahashi. In 20 games for SoftBank in 2024, he batted .169/.182/.262 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. On December 2, 2024, the Hawks announced that they would not be offering Walker a contract in 2025, making him a free agent.

Kanagawa Future Dreams

On April 25, 2025, Walker signed with the Kanagawa Future Dreams of the

Personal life

His father, Adam Walker, played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in 1987.

References

External links

Career statistics - NPB.jp

- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Adam Brett 1991 births Living people African-American baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Japan Yomiuri Giants players Elizabethton Twins players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Fort Myers Miracle players Chattanooga Lookouts players Rochester Red Wings players Mississippi Braves players Bowie Baysox players Norfolk Tides players Louisville Bats players Harrisburg Senators players Gwinnett Braves players Baseball players from Milwaukee Jacksonville Dolphins baseball players Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Kansas City T-Bones players Milwaukee Milkmen players Scottsdale Scorpions players