Donovan Robert Walton (born May 25, 1994) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

in the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

organization. He played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. ...

. Walton was drafted by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

in the 5th round of the

2016 MLB draft The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be d ...

. He made his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) debut for the Mariners in 2019.

Amateur career

Walton attended

Bishop Kelley High School Bishop Kelley High School is an American Lasallian Catholic high school with 905 students, grades 9 to 12, located at 41st and Hudson Avenue, in the center of the Tulsa metropolitan area (in the Midtown area), on a campus spanning just over 47 ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. He was drafted by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

in the 36th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto R ...

, but did not sign. Walton attended

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, where he played

for the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

, playing primarily

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

, along with a number of games at second base. In 2014 and 2015 he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, where he was named East Division MVP of the league's all-star game and co-MVP of the playoffs in Yarmouth-Dennis' 2015 championship season. Walton was drafted by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

in the 23rd round of the

2015 MLB draft Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album ...

, but did not sign and instead returned to OSU for his senior season. In 2016 in his senior season he batted .337/.428/.447. He was drafted by the

in the 5th round of the

, after being noted for his plus glove and his ability to get on base, and signed with them.

Professional career

Seattle Mariners

Walton played for the Low-A

Everett AquaSox The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity o ...

in 2016, hitting .281/.361/.421 with five home runs and 23 RBIs in 178 at bats as he played shortstop and second base. He was named a 2016

Northwest League The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Pacific Northwest, Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Maj ...

mid-season All Star. He split the 2017 season between the

AZL Mariners The Arizona Complex League Mariners are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona. The team is com ...

and the High-A

Modesto Nuts The Modesto Nuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Modesto, California, and are named for the several types of nuts grown in the region. They play the ...

, hitting a combined .271/.350/.388 with four home runs and 29 RBIs in 258 at bats. He was named a 2017 MiLB organization All Star. In 2018, he split the season between Modesto and the Double—A

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

, hitting a combined .273/.365/.381 with four home runs and 41 RBIs in 425 at bats, while primarily playing second base. He was named a 2018 California League Northern Division mid-season All Star, and a 2018 MiLB organization All Star. He returned to Arkansas for the 2019 minor league season, hitting .300/.390/.427 with 72 runs (7th in the Texas League), 11 home runs, 50 RBIs, 10 hit by pitch (3rd), 63 walks (2nd), and 75 strikeouts in 490 at bats, while primarily playing shortstop (where he had a .990 fielding percentage). He was awarded a 2019 MiLB Gold Glove, earned the

Rawlings Rawlings may refer to: *Rawlings (company), a U.S. sports equipment company *Rawlings, Maryland, an unincorporated community in Allegany County, Maryland *Rawlings (surname) Rawlings is an English-language surname. Notable people with the name in ...

Minor League Gold Glove Award at shortstop, named a Texas League mid-season All Star, and named an MiLB organization All Star. The Mariners selected Walton's contract and promoted him to the major leagues on September 10, 2019. He made his major league debut that night as a defensive replacement versus the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. In 2020 in the major leagues, Walton recorded 2 hits in 13 at bats across 5 games. On May 31, 2021, Walton hit his first career home run, a three-run shot off of

James Kaprielian James Douglas Kaprielian (; born March 2, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball ...

of the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

. In 2021 with Triple–A Tacoma he batted .304/.395/.519 with a career-high 13 home runs in 283 at bats. In 2021 with Seattle he batted .206/.254/.365 in 63 at bats. In 2022 with Triple–A Tacoma he batted .294/.368/.510 in 51 at bats.

San Francisco Giants

On May 11, 2022, the Mariners traded Walton to the

for pitcher

Prelander Berroa Prelander Berroa (born April 18, 2000) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners. Career Minnesota Twins Berroa signed with the ...

. He was assigned to the Triple-A

Sacramento River Cats The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics for 15 yea ...

. and split time between the Giants and River Cats. On June 5, 2022, Walton hit his first career grand slam off of

Braxton Garrett Braxton L. Garrett (born August 5, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted seventh overall by the Marlins in the 2016 MLB draft. Amateur career Garrett attended Fo ...

of the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. In 2022, with the Giants he batted .158/.180/.303 in 76 at-bats, playing 14 games at second base, 12 at shortstop, and one at pitcher. With Sacramento he batted .225/.345/.352 in 71 at-bats, playing seven games each at second base and shortstop, four each at left field and DH, and one at third base. On August 21, he was placed on the 60–day injured list with right shoulder inflammation. On November 18, he was non-tendered and became a free agent. On December 6, 2022, Walton re-signed with the Giants on a minor league contract. On February 26, 2023, it was announced that Walton would miss the first month of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason. In 71 games split between the rookie–level ACL Giants, High–A

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays their ...

, Double–A

Richmond Flying Squirrels The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...

, and Sacramento, Walton accumulated a .265/.357/.396 batting line with 6 home runs and 29 RBI. Walton elected free agency following the season on November 6. On December 23, 2023, Walton re-signed with the Giants on a minor league contract.https://www.milb.com/transactions/2023-12-23

Personal life

Walton’s father, Rob also played baseball at Oklahoma State prior to a minor league career with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, eventually returning to OSU to serve as the pitching coach. His brother, Davis played football at the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walton, Donovan 1994 births Living people Arizona Complex League Giants players Arizona League Mariners players Arkansas Travelers players Baseball players from Dallas Eugene Emeralds players Everett AquaSox players Major League Baseball infielders Modesto Nuts players Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball players Richmond Flying Squirrels players Sacramento River Cats players San Francisco Giants players Seattle Mariners players Tacoma Rainiers players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players