Nash Owen Walters (born May 18, 1997) 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, ...

for the

Chunichi Dragons The are a professional baseball team based in Nagoya, the chief city in the Chūbu region of Japan. The team plays in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. They have won the Central League pennant nine times (most recently in 2011 ...

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). 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

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

Career

Walters graduated from Lindale High School in

Lindale, Texas Lindale () is a city in Smith County, Texas, United States. Located in East Texas, the population was 6,059 as of 2020 census. It is part of the Tyler, Texas, metropolitan statistical area. History File:Old Mill Museum, Lindale, TX IMG 5303 ...

. He committed to attend

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

on a

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

scholarship.

Milwaukee Brewers

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 ...

selected Walters in the third round, with the 90th overall selection, in the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

. He signed with the Brewers, and spent his first pro season with the rookie–level

Arizona League Brewers The Arizona Complex League Brewers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Arizona Complex League (ACL) and a Rookie-level affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Phoenix, Arizona, and play their home games at American Family Fi ...

, logging a 4.15 ERA in 11 games. Walters split the 2016 season between the AZL Brewers and the rookie–level

Helena Brewers The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...

. In 14 games (9 starts), he accumulated a 5.35 ERA with 48 strikeouts in innings pitched. Walters missed the entirety of the 2017 season with a right elbow strain. He elected to undergo

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, ...

in September 2017, and missed the entire 2018 season as a result. He returned to action in 2019 with the rookie–level

Rocky Mountain Vibes The Rocky Mountain Vibes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and play their home games at UCHealth Park. As a result of a contraction of Minor League Ba ...

, starting 13 contests and posting a 3.40 ERA with 46 strikeouts in innings pitched. Walters did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He spent the 2021 season with the High–A

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are nam ...

, making 43 appearances and logging a 4.33 ERA with 82 strikeouts and 2 saves in innings of work. Walters began the 2022 season with the Double–A

Biloxi Shuckers The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in ref ...

, making 42 appearances and recording a 4.60 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 47.0 innings pitched. He was then promoted to 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 ...

, where he made two scoreless appearances.

Los Angeles Angels

On September 4, 2022, Walters was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. The Angels subsequently added him to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and

optioned In the film industry, an option agreement is a contract that "rents" the rights to a source material to a potential film producer. It grants the film producer the exclusive option to purchase rights to the source material if they live up to the te ...

him to the

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team that plays in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. Based in South Jordan, Utah, the team plays its home games at The Ballpark at Am ...

of the Triple-A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. After seven relief appearances for Salt Lake, Walters was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on September 29. Walters made his major league debut on October 5, pitching against 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 November 15, 2022, Walters 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 ...

. On November 18, he was non–tendered and became a free agent. He re-signed with the Angels on a minor league deal on December 14, 2022. Walters was released by the Angels on March 24, 2023.

Chicago White Sox

On April 19, 2023, Walters signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

organization. In 27 games split between the Double–A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The Baron ...

and Triple–A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

, he struggled to a cumulative 9.64 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 3 saves in 28.0 innings of work. On July 13, Walters was released by Chicago.

Washington Nationals

On July 21, 2023, Walters signed a minor league contract 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 ...

. In 10 games for 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 ...

, he struggled to a 6.08 ERA with 14 strikeouts and 3 saves across innings pitched. Walters elected free agency following the season on November 6. On December 19, 2023, Walters re–signed with the Nationals organization on a new minor league contract. He split the 2024 season between the Single-A

Fredericksburg Nationals The Fredericksburg Nationals are a Minor League Baseball team that is the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and play their home games at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, with a capacity of ...

, Harrisburg, and 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 ...

. In 26 appearances split between the three affiliates, Walters posted a cumulative 2.43 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 4 saves across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 4, 2024.

Chunichi Dragons

On January 28, 2025, Walters signed with the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Nash 1997 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Japan Arizona League Brewers players Baseball players from Tyler, Texas Biloxi Shuckers players Birmingham Barons players Charlotte Knights players Chunichi Dragons players Harrisburg Senators players Helena Brewers players Indios de Mayagüez players Los Angeles Angels players Major League Baseball pitchers Nashville Sounds players Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Rochester Red Wings players Rocky Mountain Vibes players Salt Lake Bees players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players 21st-century American sportsmen