Walker is the 291st former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Wisconsin Woodchuck Steele Walker made his Major League debut for the Texas Rangers on Sunday, June 5, 2022. Walker is the 291st former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Walker, who played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma, played for the Wisconsin Woodchucks in 2016. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the White Sox.
In 2016 with the Woodchucks, Walker played in 53 games and hit .406 with seven home runs, 11 doubles and four stolen bases. He drove in 31 and scored 47 times.
Walker began his professional career in 2018 with the White Sox Rookie Level team in the Arizona League. After four games he moved on to the Great Falls Voyagers of the Pioneer League. After nine games in Great Falls, he was promoted to the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Lo-A South Atlantic League. For the season he played in 44 games and hit .209 with five home runs, six doubles and 21 RBI. He stole six bases and scored 17 times.
In 2019 Walker began the season in Kannapolis and then was promoted, after 20 games, to the Winston-Salem Dash of the Hi-A Carolina League. Between the two clubs he appeared in 120 games and hit .285 with 10 home runs, 36 doubles and five triples. He scored 65 runs, drove in 62 and stole 13 bases.
Following the 2019 season Walker was traded to the Texas Rangers for Nomar Mazara.
Now in the Rangers system, Walker started the 2021 season with the Frisco RoughRiders of the AA-Central League. After 63 games in Frisco, he was sent to the Round Rock Express in the AAA-West League. For the season he played in 111 games and hit .241 with 15 home runs, 18 doubles and two triples. He stole 10 bases, scored 61 times, and drove in 61
Prior to his call-up to the Rangers, Walker was in Round Rock where he was hitting .297 in 20 games with three home runs, two stolen bases and nine RBI. In his Major League debut against the Mariners, Walker started the game in left field and went 0-4 at the plate.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 290 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
