Denny Walling

Third baseman / Outfielder / First baseman

Born: April 17, 1954 (age 63)
Neptune Township, New Jersey

Batted: Left

Threw: Right

MLB debut

September 7, 1975, for the Oakland Athletics

Last MLB appearance

April 10, 1992, for the Houston Astros

MLB statistics

Batting average

.271

Home runs

Runs batted in

380

Teams

Dennis Martin Walling (born April 17, 1954) is a former Major League Baseball player. Walling played all or part of eighteen seasons in the majors, from 1975 to 1992. He played his most games as a third baseman, but also saw significant time as an outfielder and first baseman.

Walling may be best known as a pinch-hitting specialist for the Houston Astros. Nicknamed "Good Wood", Walling was a valuable bat off the bench for most of his career. Entering the 2009 season, his 108 career pinch hits are tied for 13th all-time. He hit .271 out of 2,945 lifetime at bats. Walling currently serves as the hitting coach for the Norfolk Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Walling grew up in Farmingdale, New Jersey and played baseball at Howell High School in New Jersey.

Walling played college baseball at Clemson University. He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 8th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft, but chose to remain at Clemson. He was then drafted in the secondary phase of the 1975 draft by the Oakland Athletics.

Walling began his professional career as an outfielder. Just three months after being drafted by the A's, and before he appeared in a game in the minor leagues, Walling made his major league debut on September 7, 1975. He appeared in six games for Oakland down the stretch, getting one hit in eight at bats for a batting average of .125.

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