Mitchell S. Walding (born September 10, 1992) is an American former

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. ...

. He played in

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) for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

in 2018 and 2019. Walding was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the

2011 Major League Baseball draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

Early life

Walding was born in

Lodi, California Lodi ( ) is a city located in San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County, California, in the center portion of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 cen ...

. He attended St. Mary's High School in

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...

, where he was a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

and

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 ...

on the baseball team as well as an all-league quarterback on the football team, graduating in 2011. In his senior year he batted .442 with a .584

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

, and as a pitcher he was 6-1 with a 0.63

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Compa ...

Professional career

Philadelphia Phillies

Minor leagues

Walding was drafted in Round 5 (181st overall) of the

by the Philadelphia Phillies. He signed for a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $800,000, plus having the Phillies pay for his future college expenses. In 2012 in Williamsport he batted .233/.326/.308 with one home run and 31 RBIs, and 66 strikeouts in 253

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s.Mitch Walding Stats, Highlights, Bio , Eastern League Stats
/ref> Entering the 2013 season, Walding was ranked #20 among Phillies prospects by

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

. In 2013 in Lakewood he batted .224/.323/.286 with 1

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, 42 RBIs, and 121 strikeouts in 402 at bats. In 2014, again in Lakewood, he batted .237/.308/.372 with 7 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 116

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in 371 at bats. In 2015 with Clearwater he batted .233/.318/.315 with 4 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 117 strikeouts (8th in the

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

) in 403 at bats. In 2016 Walding was a mid-season

All Star with the Class High-A

Clearwater Threshers The Clearwater Threshers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Clearwater, Florida, and have played their home games at BayCare Ballpark since 2 ...

, an FSL Player of the Week on both April 17 and June 12, a post-season FSL All Star, and an MILB.com Phillies Organization All Star. For the season, he batted .269 and was tied for 8th in the league with a .440

, and tied for 10th in the league with 111 strikeouts in 350 at bats. In 2017 he was a mid-season Eastern League All Star with the Class AA

Reading Fightin Phils The Reading Fightin Phils (also called the Reading Fightins) are a Minor League Baseball team based in Reading, Pennsylvania, playing in the Northeast Division of the Eastern League. The team plays their home games at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Re ...

. In June 2017, Walding was Eastern League Player of the Month and Phillies Minor League Hitter of the Month, as he hit 13 home runs in 25 games. For the season, he was fourth in the Eastern League with 25

home runs In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

as he batted .236, fourth in the league in slugging percentage as well at .516, and sixth in the league in strikeouts with 127 (in 351 at bats). After starting the 2018 season with the

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

of the Class AAA

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, for whom he was batting .271/.379/.484 with 7 home runs and 54 strikeouts in 155 at bats, Walding was called up to the major leagues on May 30. He was the MiLB.com International League Player of the Month for July. He concluded his season with Lehigh Valley batting .265/.390 (7th in the league)/.474 (5th) and leading the league with 73 walks, with 70 runs (7th), 19 home runs (3rd), and 69 RBIs (5th) with 148 strikeouts (2nd) in 388 at bats. He was named an International League post-season All Star.

Major Leagues

Walding made his Major League debut on May 30, 2018, against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, going hitless in all four at bats with four strikeouts. He was the first Phillies player to earn a

Golden Sombrero In baseball, a golden sombrero is a player's inglorious feat of striking out four times in a single game. Etymology The term derives from ''hat trick'', and since four is bigger than three, the rationale was that a four-strikeout performance sh ...

in his MLB debut, and the 6th

position player In baseball, a position player is a player who on defense plays as an infielder, outfielder, or catcher. In Major League Baseball (since 1973 in the American League and since 2022 in the National League), there is also a designated hitter, who ba ...

in MLB history to do so. Walding was sent back down to the minor leagues on June 6. Walding was called back up to the major leagues on June 20, and struck out again in his first

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

, making him the first player in the 143 years of Major League Baseball to strike out in all seven of his first seven major league plate appearances.">"Phillies Stat Notes: Average offenses face very good rotations in DC,"
The Good Phight. Additionally, he became the only position player in Major League history to come to bat more than four times to start his career with each at bat ending in a strikeout and joined relief pitcher

Logan Ondrusek Logan Jared Ondrusek (born February 13, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Ba ...

, who is the only other player ever to strike out seven times in their first seven career plate appearances. On September 14, he got his first major league hit when he hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning against

Bryan Holaday John Bryan Holaday (born November 19, 1987) is a former American professional baseball catcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on June 6, 2012, with the Detroit Tigers. He also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, ...

, after an 0-14 streak to begin his career. In 2018, he batted .059/.158/.235 in 17 at bats for the Phillies with a home run, 12 strikeouts, and two RBIs. Walding began the 2019 season with Lehigh Valley but was recalled by the Phillies on April 20, 2019, following injuries to starting infielders

Jean Segura Jean Carlos Enrique Segura ( ; born March 17, 1990), nicknamed El Mambo, is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop and second baseman for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels of A ...

and

Scott Kingery Scott Michael Kingery (born April 29, 1994) is an American professional baseball utility player in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. The Phillies selected Kingery in the second round, 48th overall, of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft, ...

. In 2019 he batted .206/.351/.369 with 62 walks, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 130 strikeouts in 282 at bats for Lehigh Valley, and struck out in both at bats for the Phillies. On July 30, 2019, Walding was designated for assignment. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Toronto Blue Jays

On March 9, 2020, Walding signed a minor league deal with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

. Walding did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.

Los Angeles Angels

On February 17, 2021, Walding signed with the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. However, on May 12, before the start of the ALPB season, Walding signed a minor league contract with the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

organization. Walding spent the majority of the season with the Triple-A

Salt Lake Bees The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...

, hitting .238/.326/.451 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI in 33 games. He elected minor league free agency following the season on November 7, 2021.

San Diego Padres

On March 9, 2022, Walding signed a minor league deal with 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 penna ...

. Upon signing, it was announced that Walding would convert to catching. He was assigned to the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded. ...

to begin the year, but limped to a .046/.276/.091 slash in 7 games. On April 30, Walding announced his retirement from professional baseball.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walding, Mitch 1992 births Living people Sportspeople from Lodi, California Major League Baseball infielders Philadelphia Phillies players Williamsport Crosscutters players Lakewood BlueClaws players Clearwater Threshers players Reading Fightin Phils players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Florida Complex League Phillies players Canberra Cavalry players Scottsdale Scorpions players Cañeros de Los Mochis players Arizona Complex League Angels players San Antonio Missions players Salt Lake Bees players American expatriate baseball players in Australia St. Mary's High School (Stockton, California) alumni Baseball players from San Joaquin County, California