Before World Series begins, Christian Walker wins another MLB award

South Carolina baseball alums Jordan Montgomery and Christian Walker will meet in the World Series starting tonight. For fans interested in watching the Gamecock legends play for it all, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers will start the best-of-seven series Friday night at 8:05 on Fox.

Both players have starred in this MLB Postseason. Montgomery has been one of the top pitchers this October, going 3-0 in five appearances (3 scoreless) and a 2.16 ERA. He’s struck out more than four times more batters than he has walked, and he has paired with Nathan Eovaldi to dominate the playoffs for the 9-3 (postseason record) Texas Rangers.

Walker, while not hitting for his usual barrage of home runs this postseason (though his one long ball made MLB history), has been a steady on-base presence in the middle of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ lineup and has even been a nuisance on the base paths, leading one of the best baserunning teams in the game in stolen bases during the playoffs.

On Thursday, the day before the World Series begins, Christian Walker has won an award for a different part of his game.

For the second year in a row, Walker was awarded the Fielding Bible Award for first basemen, signifying his place as the best defensive first baseman in the game.

The Fielding Bible Awards began in 2006 as an alternative to the Gold Glove Award as many baseball fans believed that the Gold Gloves’ voting process was often too lazy (players winning based on reputation and/or star power, not performance).

Speaking of Gold Gloves…

Rawlings doesn’t always get their Gold Glove Awards wrong. Christian Walker is a finalist for the Gold Glove at first base, an award that he won last year. He is up against previous winner Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and veteran Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Carlos Santana.

Walker and Montgomery’s World Series berths are the first for South Carolina baseball alums since 2018 when Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Steve Pearce played in the Series for the Boston Red Sox. Pearce won that year’s World Series MVP. Can Christian Walker or Jordan Montgomery follow suit in 2023?