In April the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Zach Walters in a trade with the Cleveland Indians. He was taken in the ninth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, and prior to 2016 played second base base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field over parts of four seasons (82 games) in the Majors.
Walters was immediately sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he played first base (29 games; 25 starts), second base (15; 12), third base (21; 20), shortstop (18; 17), left field (eight; six), center field (one game) and right field (three starts).
In 94 total games with Oklahoma City, Walters batted .276/.326/.444 with 18 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs and 53 RBI. The 27-year-old credited OKC hitting coach Shawn Wooten for his success.
Coming off a hot June where he .349 with a .984 on-base plus slugging percentage, 11 doubles, seven home runs, 28 RBIs in 39 games, Walters joined the Dodgers immediately after the All-Star break when a back injury forced Trayce Thompson to the 15-day disabled list.
However, Walters was only with the club four days and appeared in just three games. He went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, making just one start. Walters was optioned to Oklahoma City when Grant Dayton was called up.
Then in August, Walters was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster so that Brett Anderson could be reinstated from the disabled list. Walters was released from the organization two days later.
In parts of four Major League seasons with the Washington Nationals (2013-14), Indians (2014-15) and Dodgers, Walters is a career .176/.227/.382 batter with three doubles, one triple, 10 home runs and 21 RBI in 85 games.
2016 Highlight
During his blistering stretch in June, Walters went 3-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in a 7-1 victory over Round Rock Express (Texas Rangers affiliate).
2017 Outlook
As a free agent Walters presumably will latch on with a club on a Minor League contract, particularly given his versatility. However, Walters to this point has not proven he’s capable of contributing in the Majors.
