You might be surprised to hear that a 28-year-old in his fifth major-league season is still rookie eligible, and Baseball Reference originally stated that Walker had lost his eligibility after the 2018 campaign. However, after we saw Fangraphs still listed him among the rookies, we reached out to the Diamondbacks PR department, as well as Baseball Reference. After both parties double checked with Elias and MLB, they informed us that Walker’s rookie status is indeed intact for the 2019 season. So it’s official folks: we have a bona fide Rookie of the Year candidate!
Christian Walker among leading early Rookie of the Year candidates
