It doesn't matter what stadium across the country Los Angeles Angels first baseman Jared Walsh finds himself in; he’s always being reminded of his Georgia Bulldog roots.

“I do. I hear a lot of fans yelling, ‘Go Dawgs,’ and all of that,” Walsh said. “Georgia is actually one of those schools that’s pretty cool. People ask me where I went to school and I say Georgia, and they’re like ‘Oh.’ it’s kind of gotten an allure now. Look how nice the campus is, how good the football team is, and obviously, the SEC. That’s something I really want to impress on these guys: be appreciative of what you’ve got here and just take advantage of your opportunity.”

For Walsh, a 2021 All-Star and the guest speaker at Sunday night’s Bulldog First Pitch banquet, this marked his first venture back to Athens in six years.

A lot has changed.

“This building (the William Porter Payne and Porter Otis Payne Indoor Athletic Facility) was like one tenth the size it is now when I used to work out,” Walsh said. “I haven’t been to a football game in a while, but I plan on getting back and setting up a big tailgate.”

Walsh, however, has recently seen the Bulldogs play.

He was in attendance at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for the National Championship, and is already looking for letting his teammates know who the No. 1 team in college football is when he reports for spring training later this month.

“People feel a certain way about Georgia fans. If you’re not a Georgia fan, people like to rag on them,” Walsh said. “But the fact that we (like I played!) have won two straight national championships in a row is awesome, so I’m going to be really annoying in the clubhouse bragging.”

There are a couple of former SEC rivals he plans to hit up first.

“We just acquired Hunter Renfroe (Mississippi State), and there are some others. Mike Mayers, he was at Ole Miss when I was here. So yeah, I’ll be sure to be loud and annoying,” Walsh said. “But we went undefeated, so nobody can chirp back at me. It will be fun.”

When Walsh does report to spring training, he’s expected to be the healthiest he’s been in two years.

Last season, Walsh was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition that typically affects pitchers.

TOS occurs when blood vessels or nerves in the space between your collarbone and your first rib (thoracic outlet) are compressed. This can cause shoulder and neck pain and numbness in your fingers.

Walsh underwent offseason surgery to correct the damage – which forced him to miss much of the 2022 season after his numbers dropped considerably from his All-Star season of 2021 when he hit .277 with 29 homers and 98 RBI.

Fortunately, Walsh said his recovery has gone well, and expects to be ready to go when spring training begins in three weeks.

“I’ve been in Phoenix getting really good rehab so I’m feeling strong, and more confident. Last year, it was complicated a little bit; it was a struggle,” Walsh said. “But once I get healthy, I’ll be able to get on a roll and get back to where I was before.”

When healthy, Walsh is a key part of a potent Angels lineup that features two-way star Shohei Otani and fellow superstar Mike Trout.

Being around both players every day is an opportunity Walsh said he relishes every day he’s on the field.

“It’s very interesting. I’ve been around him (Otani) for four years now, so I’m not in awe of him or anything like that, but then he does things as he did in Seattle that I’ve never seen a human being do,” Walsh said. “He hit a ball in Seattle in 2021, it was the furthest baseball I’ve ever seen hit, and then he’ll throw the ball 101 mph. It’s just one of those things where I kind of slap myself and just pay attention to what’s going on.

The way they talked about Babe Ruth when he played 100 years ago, they’re doing the same with Shohei. I'm honored. I’m going to be in the rocking chair, everyone’s going to have forgotten about me and my grandkids will be sitting there asking about Shohei and Trout.”

The opportunity to be a teammate of future first-ballot Hall of Fame Albert Pujols was also an opportunity he’ll never forget.

“Baseball is in a weird spot right now. Some people think it’s boring, I think we’re in a golden era right now. If you’re a Braves fan you get to watch (Ronald) Acuna, the Juan Sotos, who in my opinion is the Ted Williams of our generation,” Walsh said. “I’ve played with Mike Trout, Shohei Otani, and Albert Pujols, who just ended his career. As someone who has loved baseball his whole life, the fact I’ve gotten to play with and against these guys is quite the honor.”

Despite his injury, the 2022 season was memorable for Walsh for another reason.

On June 12, he became the ninth player in Angels history to hit for the cycle when he did so against the New York Mets.

Later in the season, the Angels and Major League Baseball took note of Walsh’s work off the field when he became Anaheim’s nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award, which goes annually to the player who combines outstanding performance on the field and work in the community.

Walsh credited his mother along with his time at Georgia for steering him in the direction to help others in and around Anaheim.

“At UGA they’d have all kinds of events that we’d do, Field of Dreams, Special Olympics out on the baseball field and I always thought that was pretty cool,” Walsh said. “Knowing, with our status if you will, that people want to be around us, doing the hospital visits. But for me, that stuff really started at Georgia. It makes me feel good, it makes them feel good, so it’s a win-win.”

A 39th-round draft pick, Walsh also had a message to Bulldog baseball players attending Sunday night’s event - enjoy your time in Athens.

“The main this is to appreciate being here. When I was here, I was worried about being drafted, I wanted to play in the major leagues. But I’m like look at this gorgeous places you get to play, you get to eat free food, you get free tickets to football games, you get this amazing life you get to live in Athens,” Walsh said. “Just don’t rush to get out of here. Pro baseball is always going to be there, for the rest of your career. Just enjoy your time being where your feet are.”