The Houston Astros made a splash when they signed Christian Walker this offseason to a three-year contract. Despite that, he is still seen as underrated.
MLB.com asked other players in the league who they thought of as underrated. Walker was one of the players on that list.
The first baseman did not become a mainstay in the lineup until 2019. But once he earned the everyday job, Walker did not lose it.
In his past six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Walker has hit .253 with an OPS of .797. Additionally, he has an OPS+ of 115, 141 home runs, 434 RBI, 418 runs scored and 705 total hits in 771 games played.
Defensively, the first baseman has been one of the best in the MLB. He has won the National League Gold Glove at first base in each of the last three seasons. Per Baseball Savant, Walker ranked in the 97th percentile in Outs Above Average last year.
Signing the 33-year-old is the best move the Astros made the entire offseason. With all their departures, Houston adding Walker to the lineup will help keep them relevant heading into 2025.
The three-year contract is worth $20 Million AAV, which makes him the seventh-highest paid first baseman in the MLB according to Spotrac. That is another reason why he could be seen as underrated.
In addition to that, Walker has never been named an All-Star in his career, but he has definitely deserved it. The University of South Carolina product has been overshadowed by players like Freddie Freeman, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt and Matt Olson.
Heading into 2025, the Gold Glover should slot right into the middle of the lineup at Daiken Park. With Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena and even Isaac Paredes, the Astros still have a dangerous linuep. Walker just makes up for the power they lost when trading Kyle Tucker.
Per FanGraphs Steamer projections, Walker is predicted to hit 31 home runs, drive in 95 runs, score 83 of his own runs and finish with a 3.1 WAR. However, his batting average and slugging percentage are expected to drop just a bit.
Now, the former fourth-round pick did give the Astros a scare with his injury. However, he received some good news, and will return much earlier than originally thought.
As long as Walker stays healthy this season, the Astros now have one of the best first baseman in the American League.