On March 15, 2016, Christian Walker played the outfield for the first time in professional baseball. Walker, who had exclusively played first base as he rose in the Orioles' farm system, found his way to the major leagues blocked for the foreseeable future once slugging first baseman Chris Davis signed a seven-year extension.
The Orioles had a need in the outfield, so the 25-year-old Walker played left field in 2016 with only four starts at first base for Triple-Norfolk. The results were mixed.
"It was a process, for sure," Walker said during the first day of minicamp Jan. 9. "Anytime you're trying to learn a new position at a high level -- Triple-A has a lot of good players. It's just a process. It's a matter of reps.
