SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shoes off and dropped near the visitor’s dugout in San Francisco, Christian Walker begins his barefoot stroll through the perfectly manicured grass and makes his way into right field, where he plops down for a much-needed dose of Vitamin D on a sunny, summer Bay Area day. It’s a welcome chance for a good stretch and fresh air following a cross-country flight from Washington.
It also provides a little bit of quiet time, all to himself, before the structured baseball activity of warmups and batting practice begins.
For nearly a decade, Walker has counted on this time before each game to connect his mind and body. And on this occasion, he even made a barehanded catch while sitting with his legs out, somehow corralling a two-hopper from Nick Ahmed during Diamondbacks early hitting — a first for Walker utilizing his Gold Glove defensive skills since beginning his routine of “earthing.”
Players who participate in barefoot walking say the benefits are wide-ranging: give the feet opportunity to move without the constraints of shoes to potentially decrease pain and inflammation, lower stress and help normalize the nervous system for improved sleep and day-to-day function among other potential benefits for the heart, cortisol levels and mental health. No accepted scientific studies confirm grounding improves performance, but the players believe it.
“The science of grounding is harnessing the earth’s energy,” Walker explains.
Some 10 minutes after Walker starts his session, barefooted pitcher Kyle Nelson passes with a quick hello while taking his own pregame walk to feel the grass between his toes. Ahmed does it, too, while Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman removed his shoes for a walk at Oracle Park during Chicago’s June visit.
San Francisco left-hander Sean Manaea is another big fan and can often be seen skipping or shuffling barefoot from the Giants dugout, his long dark locks swaying in the breeze.
Walker is thrilled how the practice — also known as “grounding” — has caught on all over as players find it useful for their own reasons.
When he began doing it during his second season in the big leagues with Baltimore in 2015, Walker heard all the teasing, friendly jabs and scrutiny.
“Everybody’s got some funny joke about grounding or earthing or trying to make a joke about being a hippie, or whatever the funny narrative is,” he said. “It’s cool to see more people doing it.”
Now, at 32 and a nine-year veteran, Arizona’s slugging first baseman arrives early enough to get his work done 10-15 minutes before the home team begins its pregame routine of batting practice and groundballs.
Sometimes it will be just walking a lap around the outfield, or lying in the grass and stretching out his limbs.
“I love the sunlight on me, so I try to wear something sleeveless,” Walker said. “It doesn’t take much. Even if the other team is out here for batting practice, I can usually find a quiet corner somewhere and just kind of be in the moment.”
He started earthing under the guidance of then-Orioles strength coach Trevor Howell — “before there was much info on it.”
“It started as we were working on sprint form and working on ankle mobility and stuff like that,” Walker said, “and it’s kind of evolved into something else for me.”
