Kevin Michael Walker (born September 20, 1976) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and former

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He is currently the bullpen coach for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

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). He played in MLB for the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penn ...

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 Y ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

. The native of Irving, Texas, was listed as tall and during his pitching career; he threw and batted

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

Playing career

Walker attended

Grand Prairie High School Grand Prairie High School is a public high school in Grand Prairie, Texas. It is one of two high schools serving the 37-campus Grand Prairie Independent School District, which encompasses the Dallas County portion of Grand Prairie. History C ...

in Texas. He was drafted by the

in the sixth round of the

1995 MLB draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Background Outfielder Darin Erstad of the University of Nebraska was the first pick in the 1995 Rule 4 Draft. Erstad ...

and made his major league debut on April 14, 2000. On March 31, 2004, Walker was claimed off waivers by the

. He became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

after the season and signed with the

on November 23, 2004. The White Sox were the final team he appeared in MLB games with. Walker became a free agent again after the 2005 season and signed with the Texas Rangers on November 6, 2005. He became a free agent after the 2006 season and signed with the Houston Astros for 2007. A free agent yet again after the 2007 season, Walker signed with the Camden Riversharks of the

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Atlantic League on April 7, 2008, his 14th and last year as an active player. Walker appeared in 122 MLB games during a total of six seasons with a 7–3 record and 4.76

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA). In 102 innings pitched, he gave up 84 hits and 63 bases on balls, with 95 strikeouts.

Post-playing career

After the 2008 season, Walker became a pitching coach in the farm system for the

. He served with the

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

(2009)

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West E ...

(2010),

Salem Red Sox The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB), based in Salem, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. The team competes at the Single-A level in the Carolina League. Ho ...

(2011–2014),

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. The Sea Dogs became part of the Red Sox syst ...

(2015–2017) and

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

(2018–2019). On October 31, 2019, Walker was promoted to assistant pitching coach for the major league Red Sox. On November 20, 2020, he was promoted to bullpen coach.

Personal life

Walker and his family reside in Holtville, California.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Kevin 1976 births Living people Algodoneros de Guasave players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Arizona League Padres players Baseball coaches from Texas Baseball players from Texas Boston Red Sox coaches Camden Riversharks players Charlotte Knights players Chicago White Sox players Clinton LumberKings players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Fresno Grizzlies players Idaho Falls Braves players Lake Elsinore Storm players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Minor league baseball coaches Mobile BayBears players Oklahoma RedHawks players People from Irving, Texas Portland Beavers players Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players San Francisco Giants players San Diego Padres players