Neil Walker wiled away the winter months of 2018 waiting and wondering why his phone wasn’t ringing.
A switch-hitting infielder with a rich big-league background, Walker seemed certain to land a job with some team that admired his body of work, which included a Silver Slugger Award, playoff experience and more than 130 home runs at a multitude of positions. But as January stretched into February, the phone remained silent.
It wasn’t until March, in the middle of spring training, that the New York Yankees finally signed him.
That late start, Walker said, precipitated what he called “the worst month-and-a-half of my entire career.