PHOENIX -- There was no way the D-backs or
“No,” Walker said.” I tried not to label this year, put too many expectations on it because of all the unknowns, but I knew that there was a good group of guys here that I was really looking forward to playing with and was hoping that it was going to be this clubhouse and this team.\n\n“Just given where I’m at in my career, there’s a lot of unpredictability. I’m just really happy and grateful. Definitely don’t take it for granted, for sure.”\n\nHow about manager Torey Lovullo -- did he think Walker was going to have this kind of season?\n\n• [Grand slams mean 30 percent off pizza](https://www.mlb.com/sponsorship/papaslam)\n\n“To be totally honest, no,” Lovullo said. “We didn’t know what type of year he was going to have, the amount of at-bats. We had talked mostly about Jake Lamb all Spring Training long and \\[Walker was\\] just lying in the weeds waiting for his opportunity. It’s a great story. It’s a great player development story. It’s a story of perseverance and waiting for your chance and making the most of it, and he has done a tremendous job of earning every single special moment this year.”
Lovullo, in fact, shared with Walker recently in their end-of-the-season meeting that he could never have forecast it. Lovullo praised Walker for his persistence and determination.\n\nThe season wasn’t all a magic carpet ride for Walker, however.\n\nIn fact, there was one point when he was struggling and needed a boost from teammates