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

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. 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

Toronto Blue Jays

Walden attended Central High School in

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, and Fresno City College. 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

drafted Walden in the ninth round, with the 295th overall selection, of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. After pitching with Toronto's

Rookie League Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...

and

Low-A Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams classified at the Single-A level, one for ...

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, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery 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 body, ...

. He returned to pitch for several Toronto

farm team In sports, a farm team (also referred to as farm system, developmental system, feeder team, or nursery club) is generally a Team sport, team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any s ...

s during the 2011 through 2014 seasons, ultimately being promoted to the Triple–A Buffalo Bisons. On April 5, 2014, the Blue Jays promoted Walden to the major leagues for the first time, but they optioned him back to the minor leagues five days later without using him in a major league game, making him a

phantom ballplayer A phantom ballplayer is either a baseball player who is incorrectly listed in source materials as playing in a Major League Baseball (MLB) game, often the result of typographical or clerical errors, or a player who spent time on an MLB Major Lea ...

. On April 15, Walden was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays.

Oakland Athletics

Walden was claimed off of waivers by the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

on April 16, 2014. On June 16, he was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to the Double–A Midland RockHounds. In 21 games for Midland, Walden posted a 3.79 ERA with 26 strikeouts; in 11 starts for the Triple–A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...

, he logged a 5.73 ERA with 34 strikeouts. He elected free agency after the season.

Cincinnati Reds

On November 30, 2014, Walden 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 made one start for the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home ga ...

of the Double–A Southern League, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) in 3 innings. Walden was released by the Reds organization on April 21, 2015.

Lancaster Barnstormers

Following his release from the Reds organization, Walden signed with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the

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

, an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball league in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system (historically referred to as organized baseball). Inde ...

. In 48 appearances for Lancaster, Walden compiled a 2.95 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 15 saves across 64 innings pitched.

Minnesota Twins

On December 19, 2015, Walden signed a minor league contract 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) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

organization. He split time between 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 ...

and 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 ...

, appearing in a combined 42 games with a 2.40 ERA and 1.065

WHIP A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

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 means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s in innings pitched. Walden elected free agency following the season on November 7, 2016.

Boston Red Sox

On December 20, 2016, Walden signed with the

. He pitched for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox 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 as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...

s. After pitching effectively during

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

, 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 year ...

25-man roster for the 2018 Boston Red Sox, expected to be the long reliever for rookie manager Alex Cora. 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 the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

, 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 (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 ...

. He was sent down to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox 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 was placed on the injured list, 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 are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. 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 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, 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 a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

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. 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 ...

. He made 16 appearances (9 starts) for the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, logging an 0–3 record and 4.53 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched. Walden was released by the Brewers organization on December 16.

Gastonia Honey Hunters (second stint)

On April 28, 2023, Walden signed with the Gastonia Honey Hunters of the

. He made 4 starts for Gastonia, logging a 2-1 record and 2.70 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 20.0 innings pitched.

Seattle Mariners

On May 22, 2023, Walden signed a minor league deal with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

. In 17 games (14 starts) for the Triple–A

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...

, he compiled a 3–3 record and 5.65 ERA with 50 strikeouts across innings pitched. Walden elected free agency following the season on November 6.

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 American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Auburn Doubledays players Baseball players from Fresno, 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 Iowa Cubs players Lancaster Barnstormers players Lansing Lugnuts players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Pawtucket Red Sox players Pensacola Blue Wahoos players Rochester Red Wings players Sacramento River Cats players Tacoma Rainiers players Tigres de Aragua players Toros del Este players Worcester Red Sox players