Switching lockers and shaving mustaches, Christian Walker is trying anything to get spark

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HOUSTON — Lockers line both sides of the Houston Astros’ home clubhouse at Daikin Park. The last one on the right is now empty, cleared of clothes, cleats, camouflage Crocs and the giant National League Gold Glove trophy that sat on a middle shelf.

Christian Walker dressed, dwelled and debriefed there for the first 49 games of his Astros tenure. He sported a sub-.200 batting average and struck out 30.6 percent of the time across a stretch he would rather forget, so changing something only seemed logical.

According to Walker, conversations “outside of me” conceived the idea to switch lockers. Crushing outs that carried exit velocities of 106.0 and 104.5 mph during the team’s trip to Tampa Bay only convinced Walker to “switch something up.” That Walker finished the entire seven-game road trip 4-for-27 furthered the thought.

“That wasn’t me asking for it,” Walker insisted after Saturday’s 2-1 win against the Seattle Mariners. “That was a funny conversation that was happening. One of those baseball things.”

“But if there’s an energy and feels like there’s a vibe, then I’ll support it.”

Walker inherited the locker from Jason Heyward, who became the first Astros player to inhabit it since José Abreu: the last free-agent first baseman this franchise signed to a three-year deal.

That Walker signed an almost identical contract and has authored such a similar offensive start has already prompted fear from a frustrated fan base. Only Walker can calm it — and he’s attempting almost anything to do so. He is superstitious “within reason,” but like most ballplayers, won’t refer to it as such.

“I feel like I don’t go out of my way, but if I throw a couple hits out there, I’ll probably do a real similar routine,” Walker said. “We call it routine, not superstition. But I think it’s part of the game.”

Walker wore a mustache for the first two games of this 11-day homestand, but shaved it after finishing with one single in his first eight at-bats. High socks made an appearance for Saturday afternoon’s game against Seattle. A clean-shaven Walker struck two singles that traveled a total of 175 feet, a stroke of luck that may prompt a more permanent look.

“I’ll do whatever I can to try to get the baseball gods’ attention,” Walker said.

The two singles inched Walker’s batting average back above .200, but he still sports a .600 OPS. Only seven qualified American League hitters have a lower one. Walker still hasn’t batted lower than fifth in Houston’s batting order, a byproduct of limited options to replace him and the runway a veteran player deserves.

“(We’re) keeping our conversations positive and I think mindset is important when coming to the ballpark, expecting to do well every single day,” manager Joe Espada said on Thursday. “He’s been a really good hitter for a very long time. It’s all about the journey and it’s a very long season.”

It grows shorter with each passing game, a fact both Espada and Walker can’t avoid. Memorial Day looms and, after it, the dog days of summer will arrive for a lineup still searching for any semblance of consistency. Yordan Alvarez’s absence is crippling, but even with him available, the Astros’ problems persisted.

Houston’s lack of power is apparent — a problem it signed Walker to avoid, but is still confronting anyway. Blaming Walker alone is absurd, though he has just four extra-base hits in his past 99 plate appearances.

That Walker entered Saturday slugging .328 with a .404 expected slugging percentage portends at least some poor fortune, though that isn’t a satisfactory explanation for everything. Hitting .137 against four-seam fastballs is concerning. So is just a .235 expected batting average for a player with an actual mark of .202.

“I’m really comfortable at the moment with how I’m preparing and the work I’m putting in before the game,” Walker said. “I think when you’re comfortable with the process, it makes dealing with the results a little bit easier. I feel like we’re working on the right stuff. My head is in the right place.”

No Astro has taken more at-bats with runners on base than Walker. He’s slashing .204/.262/.344 when he does. Of Walker’s 45 at-bats with a runner in scoring position, 25 have ended in a strikeout. Thirty-three of Walker’s 57 strikeouts this season have come with a runner on base.

Walker wears his emotions more viscerally than most players mired in such a miserable start. He maintains it is his “edge” — a way to stave off complacency and not crater to any outside noise. Earlier this season, he acknowledged the pressure of signing a sizable contract and the difficulties in navigating it.

“I’m hard on myself all the time, even when things are going well,” Walker said on Saturday. “I hit two homers and it’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s supposed to happen.’ That’s kind of been my edge, my chip on my shoulder. It’s been wearing on me, but no more than usual.”

Adding Alvarez back to the lineup may remove the microscope from Walker’s every at-bat. Isaac Paredes’ power surge and Jeremy Peña’s resurgence already have done that, but for the Astros’ lineup to actualize its potential, Walker must perform like the player Houston presumed it was getting.

Perhaps clubhouse reorganization can help. Walker’s belongings now reside inside the locker adjacent to his original one. Hanging inside of it after Saturday’s game: the white wrestling belt awarded after each win to the team’s hitter of the game.

“I can put my own personal numbers aside if the team is winning,” Walker said. “It stings more when we lose and I feel like I didn’t do what I needed to do to help the team.

“The guys have definitely had my back. We all have each other’s backs. We’ve all been there, all had tough stretches. I think we’re all our worst critic and it’s good to know the support is everywhere.”

(Photo: Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images)

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