Jerome Walton

[Brock Beauchamp]

At one point, Jerome Walton was the next great Cubs outfielder. Born in 1965 in Newnan, Georgia, Walton was drafted in the second round by the Cubs out of Newnan High School.

Walton shot up through the Cubs' farm system. He posted a .795 OPS in Rookie ball in 1986, a .926 OPS in A-ball the following year, and an .822 OPS in Double-A Pittsfield in 1988. This rapid path through the minors caused the Cubs to open the 1989 season with Walton on the roster as their everyday starting centerfielder. Walton, known for his speed and toolsy nature, did not disappoint. After an early acclimation period when he saw his batting average drop under .250 in April, Walton started heating up in July and saw his batting average flirt with the .300 mark for much of the second half of the season.

Fans, quickly becoming enamored of the young outfielder, started the "Jerome-O-Meter", which tracked his batting average as he looked to hit over .300 in his rookie campaign. Ultimately, Walton fell just short of .300, finishing the 1989 season with a .293 average. Still, this was enough for him to cruise to the NL Rookie of the Year award, finishing ahead of his teammate Dwight Smith. Walton was the first Cub to win Rookie of the Year since 1962.

Unfortunately, this was the peak of Walton's career. He struggled badly in the 1990 season, posting an 83 OPS+ in only 101 games played. He continued his downward slide in the following two seasons, posting a 67 and 25 OPS+, respectively. Following the 1992 season, Walton became a free agent and left Wrigley for the California Angels.

Walton bounced around baseball for a few more years, playing in Cincinnati, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay. His final MLB season was 1998. In the end, he finished with a 92 OPS+ and 3.7 WAR in 1,761 plate appearances.

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[Irrelevant Dude]

This book is likely still on a bookshelf in my parents' basement.