Neil For Niese; So Long, Pittsburgh Kid

The domino effect of Ben Zobrist's signing has landed The Pittsburgh Kid in the Big Apple, swapped for the Mets' veteran lefty Jon Niese. The Los Angeles Angels, Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers also were also in the mix.

Neil Walker, 30, was a Pirate lifer. He was Pittsburgh's first-round pick in 2004 (#11 overall) out of Pine-Richland HS. His versatility was evident, as the Bucs juggled him from catching to third and eventually to second with some quick OJT when Aki Iwamura fizzled in 2010. A big guy, he nevertheless settled into a fairly dependable fielder, although his range had been gradually shrinking in the past couple of seasons. He made up for glovework with his bat, providing the punchless Pirates with some pop from a middle infield spot. But the emergence of Josh Harrison, with Alen Hansen & perhaps Max Moroff in the wings, made him expendable.

Neil Walker (2004 Bowman Heritage)

Walker was in his walk year contractually. He and the FO never came close on an extension, and so The Kid wasn't a long-term piece of the puzzle. In fact, there was talk of the Pirates working him at first for the coming campaign. With a group of younger players knocking, the Bucs flipped him to fill a hole in their rotation by acquiring Niese, 29, who the FO hopes to slot behind Gerrit Cole and Frankie Liriano. It serves New York's needs, too, as they get a rental to replace Daniel Murphy but give heir-apparent Dilson Herrera some time to mature without giving out a big contract or dipping into their young arms.

Niese was the Mets’ opening day starter in 2013, but rotator cuff woes were followed by an elbow issue, and he fell behind the NY collection of young fireballers, ending the 2015 season in the pen. In 29 starts/33 appearances, he posted a 9-10/4.13 slash, which matched up with his 4.27 SIERA. But he is lefty, just 29 years old, controllable through 2018 and more importantly, Niese ranked seventh in the majors last season in groundball percentage at 54.5 percent.  He features four pitches, a four seamer (89 MPH), cutter, curve and change; a hard tosser he is not.

Jon Niese is comin' to town (Photo: USA Today)

Financially, the deal isn't much of a salary dump. Walker was projected to have a $10.7M arbitration payday in 2016 while Niese will make $9M this season, with team options of $9M in 2017 and $10 M in 2018. It gives the Bucs some spare change and a reasonable three-year contract for a mid-to-back rotation arm. And while he may have to step up this year, with the young arms on the horizon - Tyler Glasnow, Nick Kingham, Jameson Taillon, etc - he doesn't have to hold down the middle of the rotation long term.

The question is where this leaves the Bucs right side when they break camp. We're waiting to see who Pedro's replacement is (Clint said they're looking for a platoon partner), and with Jung Ho Kang out for a yet undetermined period, Josh will likely start the year at third instead of his now-ordained spot at second. (Note: Kang is recovering quite well, so hopefully he won't lose too big a chunk of the season.) They don't even have S-Rod signed yet, so filling that void, even temporarily (plz no P-Flo!), should be challenging.

As for The Pittsburgh Kid, the fans will get to see him again on June 6th, when the Mets come to town.

Walker Loses In Arb; Settles For $8M

The Pirates won their first (and biggest in terms of money) arbitration hearing when the judge ruled in their favor and against second baseman Neil Walker. The Pirates came in with a $8M offer; Walker countered with $9M. Matt Schwartz, who calculates arb values for MLB Trade Rumors, had Walker projected to earn $8.6M. We thought that seemed like a good midpoint to agree on, but Neal Huntington and Neil Walker stuck to their guns.

Neil Walker (photo: Al Behrman/Associated Press)

Walker is still doing OK. The 29-year-old infielder made $5.75M last season, and has one more arb year to go unless he and the team reach an accord. The Pittsburgh Kid had perhaps his best campaign in 2014 with a slash of .271/.342/.467 with a career-high 23 homers. Unfortunately, in what has become common in recent seasons, he's missed time with lower back pain and other injuries. Walker's averaged 133 games played the last three years and about 550 PAs, and that has hurt his value some.

Durability isn't his only issue. He's been strong offensively, slashing .274/.341/.435 and averaging 15 homers per season since claiming second base in 2010. Not so much on the leather end, tho. After on-the-job training in 2010-11, he played a couple of years just below league average defensively, but last season saw him end with a -8.4/UZR 150 per Fangraphs. Walker is a big guy at 6'3" & 210 lbs., and both his glove and back seem to be balking at the rigors of a middle infield position.

That's what makes any effort to sign him to a long-term deal such a quandary; Walker will be asked by the Bucs to move to another, less taxing spot like first base, which lowers his value. The Pittsburgh Kid has one season after this before he gets his chance at a payday and he'll need compensated well to pass up his 2017 shot at free agency, especially knowing that he's in line to make eight figures in 2016 no matter what happens.

The Bucs have two more arb cases on the burner. Pedro Alvarez asked for $5.75M v the team offer of $5.25M, and RHP Vance Worley wants $2.45M while Pittsburgh offered $2M.

Walker, McDonald Sign

Hey, good news on the Bucco front. The Pirates announced that they have agreed to terms with 2B Neil Walker and RHP James McDonald on contracts for 2013 and avoided salary arbitration. We thought that J-Mac would ink a deal before the hearings took place; we weren't so sure about The Kid. Now everyone's safely in the fold.

In 2012, Walker had a slash of .280/.342/.426, right in line with his career averages. His one red flag was a disk injury that made him a part-time player in September. McDonald was 12-8/4.21, suffering a second half meltdown of Biblical proportions.

When the numbers for arbitration were recently exchanged, Walker asked for $3.6M and was offered $3M; J-Mac asked for $3.4M and was offered $2.65M. Matt Schwarz of MLB Trade Rumors estimated their arb values were $2.9M for Walker and $3M for McDonald.

J-Mac's midpoint and estimated value match, so he had common ground to deal with the FO. But Walker's midpoint ($3.3M) is $400K higher than his arb estimate, and as a Super 2 guy, this year will set his baseline through the 2016 season. In fact, it's the first arb year for both players; J-Mac is under control through 2015.

The financial terms of the deals were not announced; when they come available, we'll post the figures for you. (EDIT - Tom Singer of MLB.com posted that they both signed at their midpoint: "According to multiple reports, Walker signed for $3.3 million and McDonald for $3.025 million") We're glad neither Hendricks Sports, representing the pair, nor the FO decided to play hardball; both deals appear fair to both sides.

The Quiet Man - Neil Walker

Hey, the Buccos have had a lot of heroes in the first half of the season. J-Mick, AJ, Jason Grilli, Hanny, Cutch, Pedro, and even Drew Sutton have all drawn the fans' (and media's) love.

Funny thing, though. The guy who never takes a day off, yo-yos in the lineup without complaint, stings baseballs from both sides of the dish, gets dirty in the field and is a local boy to boot has been relegated to the back burner. That, of course, is the pride of Pine-Richland High School, Neil Walker.

Tough to miss a guy who is in the midst of a twelve game hitting steak with a slash of .291/6/41 and just coming of a 5-for-5 performance, but he's been lost in the backlash of Pirate storylines this year.That's surprising, not only because of his roots but because by performance, he should be in the conversation among the top Pirates at second in the last 50 years - Maz, Dave Cash, Rennie Stennett, Phil Garner and Freddy Sanchez.

Everyone knows his story. A first round pick out of high school in 2004 and with MLB bloodlines as the son of former MLB pitcher Tom, he started out catching. Ryan Doumit looked like he was the Bucco answer behind the plate (little did we know) and so The Pittsburgh Kid was moved to third. Then came Andy LaRoche and Pedro Alvarez, and it looked like his destiny was to go from the top pick to a utility man.

His bat didn't play in the minors as a big bopper corner guy. He had a career .273 BA and .322 OBP with just a 16% K rate, but only 77 HR in seven seasons though with a respectable .441 slugging %.

The Aki Iwomura came along in 2010, and gave The Kid his opening. Called up as a role player after Iwamura ate his way out of the position, his role quickly switched from bench guy to everyday second baseman.

He hit .296 in 110 games with an OPS of 119, and drew some votes for Rookie of the Year. Walker followed with a .273/12/83 slash last year to solidify his spot as one of the up and coming second sackers in the NL. His bat may not have qualified him as a corner masher, but it played well as a middle infielder.

For sure, he looked like a catcher in the infield at the start, more adept at tackling baseballs than gloving them. But once he got the hang of it - he had only played 21 games at the position in the minors, a crash course in 2010 when it became apparent Iwamura wasn't quite as advertised - his UZR/150 improved every season from -17.5 to -2.5 to this year's 1.2.

Billy Maz with the leather he ain't, but competent he certainly is, especially when factoring in his gridiron physique of 6-3, 215 pounds. His footwork and pivot have improved every season, honed by the spring tutoring of the master, Maz. In the past two years, his range numbers have exceeded the league average a bit, so The Kid gets around pretty well for a big galoot.

His career BA is .280, and his RISP-BA is .293, with an OBP of .340 and slugging % of .412. With that blend of coming through in RBI spots, gap power and a knack for getting on base, he's spent most of his career batting juggled between the two and five holes. That flexibility is big time in any lineup, but especially for the Pirates, who generally have more holes in their order than a Dutch dike. And his switch hitting has made life easier for Clint Hurdle, who uses him to break up same-side stacks in the order.

His WAR over the past three years have been 2.0, 3.0, and 2.0, which puts him smack dab in the middle of the second base pack. And at 26, he still has some upside both with the bat and in the dirt.

More impressive has been his durability. Along with Cutch, The Kid has been in the lineup virtually every day in the past two seasons, on the field for 241 of the 246 Bucco games played between 2011-12.

Winning clubs need their All-Stars and breakout players. But it's tough to beat day in, day out consistency from a guy who is automatically penciled in every lineup, and that's what Neil Walker brings to the table. He may be quietly having another solid year, but his presence speaks loudly in the Pirate success story of 2012.

Will Neil Walker Be Extended?

The secondary sidebar to the off season was the backburner story of Neil Walker's extension. Walker has accumulated one year and 166 days of service time during his young career. That means he has one more season at minimum wage and then he seems all but certain of Super Two status and four years of arbitration eligibility.

Walker has been a great local story ever since being the Pirates top pick in 2004. A multi-sport star out of Gibsonia's Pine-Richland High School and the son of a former MLB pitcher (Tom), the Pittsburgh Kid was called up as a utility infielder in 2010 and became the starting second baseman shortly thereafter, replacing Aki Iwomura. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!

How unlikely was that? Drafted as a catcher, he was moved to third base in 2007, only to see Pittsburgh trade for Andy LaRoche and draft Pedro Alvarez the following year. The Pirates had written him off as a role player, and used him at first, second, third and the outfield at Indy in 2010 before beckoning him to the show.

His bat was OK but not overwhelming in the minors, usually in the .275 BA, 12-15 homers and 75 RBI range. Walker has kept to that line in 286 games as a Bucco, hitting .280/24/149, with an OPS of 108. A switch hitter, his splits are pretty even, with a little more power as a lefty, as is often the case.

A lot has been made of his clutch hitting, but his RISP is .286, just a shade over his regular BA. He's a doubles hitter (66 in the past two years) and the recipient of having the wheels of McCutch, Jose Tabata and Alex Presley ahead of him in the order. And that's not bad, considering that he has very little protection behind him in the lineup. As a Bucco, he's batted in every spot but leadoff.

His glove was fairly brutal at the start, with an UZR/150 of -17.1 in 2010. Then again, he had all of 21 pro games at the position before the Aki implosion, and he was thrown head first into the fire. Walker worked hard in the off season, spent the spring at Maz's knee, and to his credit, he turned himself into a much more competent fielder last season with a rating of -2.5.

Walker improved his BIZ (balls in zone) conversion rate to 80% (75% in 2010) and made 53 plays out of his zone, up from just 11 two seasons ago. And he does a great job of running down flares and going upstairs for liners.

Still, The Kid's range isn't great, balls get tangled up at his feet, and the DP turn is still a work in progress. The guy may be athletic, but at 6'3" and 215 pounds...well, not many high school football heroes end up in the middle infield. If you hear a Pirate broadcaster describe a ball being "tackled" by a Bucco fielder, you can bet the ranch that he's watching Walker.

There's been talk about returning him to third, where his bat should play because of his glove. He's much stronger playing at a reactive rather than rangy position and was an All-D player at the hot corner in AAA. But any corner infield moves in Pittsburgh ultimately depend on Pedro and where he ends up, either at first, third, or out of town.

With that background, there's no sense of urgency to lock up Walker like there is for McCutch. The Kid is a couple years older (26), no cinch to stay at second, and under team control for five more seasons.  But we think the smart move is to lock up his arb seasons and then backload his free agent years with team options just to provide some cost certainty down the road by eliminating the arb guessing game.

We're speculating along the lines of a Jose Tabata type deal. Walker would get a $1M signing bonus, a 2012 salary of $750K, and $2M - $3M - $4M - $5M during his arb years with a team option or two. That's $15.75M guaranteed over 5 years, and would keep the Pittsburgh Kid in Pittsburgh through the 2016 season, when he'll be 31.

But...yep. there's always a but. There's no question that Walker is a home-town boy who is a fan favorite and seems comfortable here. But is he willing to discount himself to stay local? Four years of arbitration is a pretty powerful financial lever for an established, everyday player.

For the Pirate FO, it's a matter of leveling out the cost and protecting themselves against being bushwhacked by arbitration. For Walker, it's a choice between a security blanket and potentially much larger paychecks. If he's not signed to an extension this year, we'd expect the Bucs to push hard for a deal before arbitration begins in 2013 rather than risk going year-to-year.

It's hard to read the FO; they haven't even come to terms with Garrett Jones or Casey McGehee yet.  So it's possible they want to wait a year to see if Walker is indeed a long-term piece, or prefer to deal with him on an annual basis. That's skating on thin ice. Another consistent season of play could start Walker off at $2.5-3M when he goes to arbitration, and the ante gets higher every year.

But if they're hot to land Walker now, they have a funny way of showing it. The Kid told Bill Brink of the Post-Gazette last month that "We haven’t had any discussions this off season. We have had conversations but we haven’t been able to come to common ground."

And there it sits; we're not even sure whose court the ball is in.

Where Does Neil Walker Fit Down The Road?

Neil Walker, 2004's number one Bucco pick, burst on the scene last year after Aki Iwomura played his way back to the Far East. Considered a utility player, he instead took over second and put up a line of .296/12/66.

The switch-hitter was equally adept from either side of the plate, hitting .298 with a 117 OPS+ against righties and .295/116 against southpaws. Walker was consistent, too, never hitting under .270 in his monthly splits. He's still raking; it looks like his bat is going to play for a long time in the show.

But like so many young Pirate players, he was thrown into the fire, given a position that he had no prior experience playing. On the farm, he had caught and played the hot corner, where he was an All-Defensive International League gloveman, and was forced to learn his new position on the fly in the crucible of the MLB.

The Pittsburgh Kid proved to be a strong player on balls in the air, but showed some problems with range, turning the DP, and with balls hit at his feet. Considering that it was his first taste of middle infield play, his -17/UZR 150 wasn't a surprise. But even Delwyn Young, who did have the advantage of playing the position some in the minors, did better, with a -12 UZR 150 in 2009-10.

GW thinks the Bucs would be better served with Pedro at first and Walker back at third defensively. But it's hard to fault the Pirates for conceding some leather to get their best eight players in the everyday lineup, and they're paper thin up the middle.

And to Walker's credit, he's worked hard to make himself into a second baseman; he does have only 120 games and one camp under his belt at the position. His range has improved, both to the eye and statistically, he's stronger on the pivot, and has picked up the relays and back-up coverage like a trouper. The Pine-Richland grad is a textbook hustler. His UZR 150 is -9 this year, not good but much better than last season.

But here's the rub; he's 200+ pounds, 6'3", and not especially flexible; balls that stay down still give him trouble. And he needs to hone his technique; he plays a lot of grounders to the side rather than getting behind them, though that should be correctable. That's just a matter of him still playing bouncers like a third baseman covering the hole; he has some work to do on his middle infield footwork and positioning.

The draft should tell us where he fits into the Pirates' long-range plans as an infielder. If Pittsburgh takes Anthony Rendon, Walker will stay at second. But that's not a given.

Rendon has been plagued by nagging injuries, and is seeing a lot of time as a DH this year, yet hasn't gone long in his last 134 at-bats. Now the power number isn't the downer; he's being pitched around in college like he's the second coming of Barry Bonds.

What's worrisome is that his aching shoulder has taken him off the hot corner, where he has a rep of being a plus defender. It's supposed to be a minor injury that requires rest, but it will assuredly be taken into consideration on draft day.

UCLA RHP Gerrit Cole has emerged as the yin to Rendon's yang in this year's draft. They're considered 1 and 1-A among prospects, and if signed early, both have the potential to hit the bigs by 2013. It will be a flip of the coin decision; the Pirates need help in both areas.

If the brass go for Cole, the Pirate's have options with Walker. If they select Rendon, the starting 2014 infield could well be Pedro 1B, Walker 2B, Chase d'Arnaud/Jordy Mercer SS (although the Pirates have d'Arnaud pegged for short, many national services profile him as a second baseman) and Rendon 3B. The right side may not be the slickest fielding tandem in baseball, but it should be one with some serious punch at the plate.

So we'll see. One thing the team doesn't have to worry about is control of the 25 year-old Walker, though he will get pricey. Remember, they brought him up three weeks before Pedro and Jose Tabata, with the thought that he'd be a bench player until Steve Pearce, who he replaced, returned to action.

Those three weeks, along with a September call-up in 2009, will make him a Super 2 arb-eligible player. The Bucs will have contract rights to him through 2016, but he'll have four arb years starting after the 2012 season.

What is fairly certain is that The Pittsburgh Kid should have a long run in his home town. The question is just what glove he'll wear.

Neil Walker - Top Ten Second Sacker

Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review leaked tonight's MLB Network's local storyline: Neil Walker, 25, earned a spot on their "Top 10 Right Now: Second Basemen." He's the youngest of the players ranked.

Walker was #10, below Brian Roberts, Rickie Weeks, Kelly Johnson and Ian Kinsler, but ahead of Freddy Sanchez (#15). The ratings were based on offense, defense, upside and leadership.

Last month, MLB Network named Andrew McCutchen as the top center fielder in the game.

The show will be on tonight at 8 p.m.

#15 - Neil Walker

Neil Walker is the Pittsburgh Kid. Born and raised in Gibsonia, the son of former major league pitcher Tom Walker, he was a record-breaker at Pine-Richland High.

Walker graduated in 2004 as a star catcher on the Ram's baseball team and an outstanding wide receiver for the football team. And we mean he was all that.

He was a three-year starter at receiver. As a senior, Walker had 68 grabs for 1,128 yards and led Pine-Richland win the WPIAL Class AAA title. He played in what many consider the greatest championship game in state history, a 39-38 double overtime loss to Manheim Central that was played in a snowstorm.

Walker was an Associated Press First-Team All-State selection as a senior and was a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gridiron "Fabulous 22" two-time selection as a junior and senior.

Fuhgedaboutit in baseball. Walker hit better than .500 three years in a row. As a junior in the 2003, he played in the junior Pan-Am Cup. Walker was the DH for Team USA and batted .310 with a slugging percentage of .483.

Walker capped it with a brilliant senior season, hitting .657 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs. He had 9 doubles, a triple and scored 41 runs. He struck out twice all season. The catcher's slugging percentage was 1.403.

He was lights out in the postseason, too, hitting .765 in five games, and guess what - the Rams won the WPIAL baseball championship, too. He was a two-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Male Athlete of the Year.

Walker also played for Jim Leyland's Beaver Valley Baseball Club. Geez, how hometown can you get? Well, how about getting drafted in the first round by the Pirates?

In 2004, they made him their top selection, 11th overall. He inked a deal for $1,950,000, and was off to the rookie league Bradenton team. Walker hit .271 there and was named the 5th best prospect in the Gulf Coast League. Late in the year, he moved up to the short-season Williamsport Crosscutters and batted .313.

Promoted to the Hickory Crawdads in 2005, Walker hit .301 with 12 homers, 33 doubles, and 68 RBI. He made the South Atlantic League All-Star team as catcher, and got a cup of coffee in High A Lynchburg.

But a couple of holes were beginning to pop up in his game. He only drew 20 walks and committed 22 passed balls in 79 games.

The Pirates decided to try converting Walker to third base, partly due to his defense and partly because of the presence of catching prospects Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino in the system. He began playing third in the 2005 Arizona Fall League, and showed he was athletic enough to handle the hot corner.

But he injured a ligament in his left wrist on November 9 in the AFL and got the knife, missing the early part of the 2006 campaign. He still wasn't at full strength when he returned to Lynchburg, still a catcher, in late May, and it showed.

He picked it up in late July and August, and hit .271 for the Hillcats, then was promoted in mid-August to the Altoona Curve, where he played just 10 games while battling a nagging illness.

Walker was converted to a full-time third baseman during 2007 spring training. He stayed at Altoona and hit .288 with 13 homers, 30 doubles, 66 RBI and 77 runs for the 2007 Curve, but led the team with 25 errors at his new position.

Promoted to the Indianapolis Indians in mid-August, he hit .203 in 69 at-bats.

In 2008, Walker hit a disappointing .242/16/80 for Indianapolis, and that year began to raise some doubt on his "can't miss" prospect tag. His OBP was a dismal .280, as his lack of discipline at the plate took its toll in AAA. Walker had a 20% strike-out rate and only a 5% walk rate. On the other hand, he was selected the league's top fielding third baseman.

He did a little better in 2009, upping his average to .264, his OBP to .311, and he banged 14 round-trippers and plated 66 runners in 356 at-bats, missing several weeks because of a sprained ligament in his left knee and a broken finger. Walker also improved incrementally on his walk and K rates, walking 7% of the time and whiffing 17%.

Walker spent most of 2009 in AAA, but got a September call-up to the Pirates. He collected his first MLB hit in his second start on September 6th against Jason Motte of the St. Louis Cardinals. The 24 year-old didn't exactly tear it up in Pittsburgh, though, hitting .194 with one double and 11 Ks in 36 at-bats.

The Pittsburgh Kid's star has fallen dramatically. In 2005, Walker was rated the Pirates' #2 prospect by Baseball America, then moved up to #1 the following year. He was #2 again in 2007 and 2008, and fell to #6 in 2009.

Why the drop? His performance just doesn't match up to his pedigree. In six pro seasons, Walker's career average is .269 with an OBP of .317, and he's only taken 65 balls yard, not very much production from a first-round, middle-of-the-order hopeful. While his strikeout rate of 17% isn't excessively high, his plate discipline needs a lot of work; he's still very much a hacker at the dish. And, of course, the prospect pool has gotten a bit deeper in the past two years.

On the other hand, he's switched positions without a peep, and made the transition to third base pretty well. And he never did get much chance to get comfortable and show his stuff in September, probably because his call-up coincided with Andy LaRoche finally finding his stroke.

But it has to be in his head that he's behind LaRoche and Pedro Alvarez, and for the conspiracy fans...

"I'm a young guy, and I feel like I can play at the major league level," Walker told Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette in August. "And if Pittsburgh isn't the place I make it, I'm confident there is somewhere that I will make it. I just really don't know what the future is for me with this organization."

"I just look at it like this: In any situation, in any business, new bosses come in and want their guys and are more comfortable with people they see as their guys. That's the situation I feel like I'm in. I'm not one of their guys."

Whether that's so or not - and Neal Huntington has said on the record that he thinks Walker has the ability to be an everyday player - what is clear is that Neil Walker's future in the organization is reaching critical mass, and he needs to explode. He's on the 40-man roster, but still has two options left, so we expect him to start out 2010 at Indianapolis.

And that will be interesting. With Alvarez zooming up the charts, where will Walker play long-term? They could groom him for a utility role, along with about a zillion other high-level players in the organization.

There's always the outside chance that he'll move back behind the plate with Robby Diaz gone, where his bat projects better, although the brass have given no indication that they plan on that move.

The Pittsburgh Kid has become the Pittsburgh Puzzle.

(Next - #14 Jeff Locke)

A Long Road From Gibsonia To Pittsburgh

Hey, Neil Walker could do it all back not so long ago when he was an AP All-State receiver for the WPIAL champion Pine-Richland Rams, toolsy All-America catcher, and solid hoops forward in 2004. In fact, he was twice named the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's "Male Athlete of the Year" for his derring-do on the field.

He hit .657 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs his senior go-round, and his nine won a WPIAL baseball title to go with the football crown. Walker was named to Baseball America's 2004 All-American High School team as the top catcher in the country and the USA Today's 10-player All-American team.

Walker was rated the #1 high school backstop by some other national gurus, and had accepted a baseball scholarship from Clemson in 2003, his junior year, hoping in the back of his mind that he'd hit the gridiron there, too.

But baseball was the road he chose; it was in his genes. His dad Tom was a MLB reliever, pitching six seasons for four teams, and uncle Chip Lang made 30 appearances in a couple of years with the Expos. His brother Matt was drafted by the Tigers, and made it as far as AAA in the Baltimore system before hanging the spikes up in 2004. His brother Sean played college hardball.

Even his sister Carrie got into the act - she played international pro hoops, and married into baseball, being the better half of Wexford's (now Mt. Lebanon's) Don Kelly, currently an infielder working for a spot on the Detroit Tiger's roster.

The Pirates made it academic when they nabbed Walker in the first round of 2004 draft with the 11th overall pick. Walker netted a signing bonus of $1,950,000, with an extra $100,000 on tap to pay for college. He was the third non-pitcher selected.

Walker was shipped to the GCL Bradenton Pirates and put together a line of .271/.313/.427, and was named the 5th-best prospect in the Gulf Coast League. Later in the season, he moved up to short season Williamsport and hit .313/.343/.406.

Promoted to the Class A Hickory Crawdads in 2005, Walker had a .301/.332/.452 line with 12 homers, 33 doubles, and 68 RBI, earning a spot on the South Atlantic League All-Star team at catcher after overcoming a slow start at the plate. He got a cup of coffee at High A Lynchburg, going .262/.244/.357 during his nine game stint.

While he showed good contact ability and extra-base gap power with the bat, he only drew 20 walks and allowed 22 passed balls in 79 games. The suits had their work cut out for him regarding his plate discipline and pitch recognition, weaknesses for the free-swinger, but they chose another road to cure his catching woes.

The Pirates decided to convert Walker to third base, partially because of all the balls bouncing off of the backstop, but mainly because Ryan Doumit and Ronny Paulino were in the system and had him blocked behind the plate, a theme that would recur again a couple of seasons down the road.

He began the transition to the hot corner during the 2005 Arizona Fall League as a member of the Peoria Saguaros, but it was a fairly short-lived try-out. Walker injured a ligament in his left wrist in early November in the AFL and required surgery, missing the early part of the 2006 campaign.

He still wasn't at full strength when he finally returned to action at Lynchburg as a catcher in late May of 2006.

He picked up the pace in late July and August and overall hit .284/.345/.409 for the Lynchburg Hillcats, then was promoted in mid-August to the Altoona Curve, where he hit just .161 in 10 games while battling illness. Worse yet, his power had almost entirely been sapped, as he hit just five bombs for the two clubs.

In February of 2007, Pirate management announced that Walker would be converted full-time to third base. He also got his first call to camp, and it was a family affair of sorts. Infielder Don Kelly, signed as a non-roster invitee to Pirate spring ball, had just married Walker's sister, making the two of them brothers-in-law as they entered camp.

After Bradenton, he headed to Altoona and hit .288/.362/.462 with 13 home runs, 30 doubles, 77 runs, and 66 RBI for the Curve. Walker alos led the team with 25 boots at his new position on the corner. But his stick got him sent to AAA Indy in mid-August, where he rejoined his utility man in-law briefly, hitting .203 in 16 games.

He went to camp in 2008 with an outside chance at making the roster, but it wasn't to be. He was shipped back to Indy, where he had a terrible start - some say because he was bummed at still being in the bushes instead of the show - heated up in the dog days, and leveled off towards the end.

Walker hit .245 with a team-high 16 homers, seven triples, 25 doubles, and 79 RBI in 130 games. The good news was that he only made 19 errors, and was named the best defensive infielder in the International League. Walker was also chosen as the 2008 Indianapolis Indians Most Valuable Player.

He's in camp, but the odds are heavily stacked for a return trip to Indy in April. At 23-years old, he's not exactly at a make-or-break point, but he has to start showing the suits something, and fairly soon.

After all, Walker was rated by Baseball America as the Pirates number two prospect entering 2008, and ranked by them as one of the top 100 MLB prospects in 2005 (81), 2006 (43), 2007 (74), and 2008 (61). But his play last year puts him at serious risk of losing his prospect with a bullet status. Walker was just added to the 40-man roster, and that will start the team clock ticking.

What to do with young Mr. Walker? Well, start by finding a position for him. First he was buried behind a logjam of catchers; now he has Andy LaRoche above him and Pedro Alvarez behind him.

But in the long run, his athleticism and versatility should only help his cause. He can catch in a pinch, he can play third, and it wouldn't take much to assume that with a little work, he could play a corner outfield spot or first base. Heck, it's even been suggested that he's capable of playing second.

So on first blush, if a regular position with Pittsburgh isn't in the cards, Walker could become a super-utility man in the show. Being a switch-hitter only adds to his value off the bench.

The other option is to use him, like Mike Gonzalez or Brent Lillibridge, as bait to lure some more talent into the Pirate system. Just because you amass ballplayers doesn't mean they're all going to end up at PNC one day. There's a lot of stadiums looking for players.

It's too soon to pull the plug on Walker, especially with a team in transition like Pittsburgh. The third base mash-up could just as easily become a black hole in a heartbeat if young LaRoche continues to flame, his big brother jumps into the free agent melee, and Alvarez snacks his way to first base.

And who knows if Ryan Doumit can stand up to the everyday pounding behind the plate? He only played 116 games last year, and the catching spot, at least for the number two position, could be up for grabs. Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz are unproven reserves, just like Walker, and neither was as highly touted.

If nothing else shakes loose, Walker could provide John Russell some much needed flexibility off the pine, and that looks like the direction the Pirates are taking in putting together a bench.

Hey, from the North Hills to Pittsburgh's North Side is just a fifteen minute trip by car. It's a heck of a lot longer, with many more twists, turns, and potholes, on the baseball trail.

Farm Fresh - The Hot Corner

Hey, finally a position with a light at the end of the tunnel! If there's one spot that the Pirates have loaded up on in their system, this is it. There are a pair of number one picks and a number three vying for the hot corner, and that *cross our fingers* should translate into some production in a couple of years.

Andy LaRoche - OK, calm down. He leads the list because he's the only one with any MLB experience, as shaky as that may be. Going into 2008, Baseball Prospectus rated him as a five star prospect and the number two youngster in the LA system, behind only Clayton Kershaw. Well, that and $10 will get you a Starbucks latte.

We're willing to write off 2008 as rookie blues and give little LaRoche a clean slate going into the season. But LaRoche is 25, has 111 MLB games under his belt now, and though that's not many reps in the show, it's time for nerves to be replaced with production.

The Pirates have said they'll keep him on a short leash this season, and we'll see if Ramon Vazquez gets any love platooning with him if he has another car wreck at the hot corner. And that's the only alternative right now.

What's he need to do? Well, at the dish he mostly has to regain his patience. LaRoche showed pretty good plate discipline with LA, drawing 54 walks to 68 Ks as a Dodger, but that ratio was 14:30 in Pittsburgh. Still, he is what he is - in the minors, he struck out 14% of the time; in the majors, 16%. Same with walks; he drew them 12% of the time at both levels.

But he has to resist the off speed, off plate, offerings, the bane of all young players, and that's a function of experience and not trying to pull the ball so much. Stepping into the bucket while behind in the count leads to a lot of whiffs and weak dribblers, and that's what happened to LaRoche during his 2008 Pittsburgh audition.

LaRoche isn't going to be a middle of the order guy. Everything in his past points to him being a six hole hitter with maybe a .265-.270, 15 HR and 65 RBI line being his expected contribution to the lineup. Pedro he ain't, at least by GW projections.

Ah, his glove. He looked unmotivated last year, couldn't come in on a ball to save his soul, had the range of Babar, and threw across his body instead of setting up way too often.

This is the area the scouting reports were most divided on; some thought he could play second in a pinch, others flinched at his mitt. It could very well be that his reaction time isn't the greatest, and second might be an easier spot for him to handle.

At any rate, of all the Buc infielders, this is the guy guru Perry Hill will most need to coach up, especially on his footwork. LaRoche is still a project, and he'll be the a prime demonstration of whether the touted Pirate teaching staff can spin some magic or not.

Neil Walker - Walker was the next big thing at third going into 2008, but a draft, a trade, and a down year at Indy have dimmed his star. After tearing up Altoona in 2007, the former 2004 first round draft pick from Pine-Richland settled back to earth with a very so-so year at Indy, though he still easily led the team with 80 RBI.

He's another hopeful that may be a victim of too-high expectations. Walker made the transition from catcher to third pretty well, is a switch-hitter with a little juice (in the 15 HR range), has a knack for driving in runs, fair wheels, and is only 23 years old. Neil's been around so long people forget that he's still sporting peach-fuzz.

His versatility makes him a valuable guy to have around - he may yet end up at first or the outfield - and he was just 22 during most of his first full season of AAA ball. Walker is probably not the third baseman of the future any more, but we suspect he's still a fair-sized piece of the Pirate puzzle heading into the future.

Pedro Alvarez - The savior. We hope all the drama was worth it at the end, but call us old school; we'd like to see him take a professional at bat before kissing his ring. Now that that's off our chest, he should be this year's Matt Weiter. Alvarez is already Pittsburgh's top prospect, and the only questions seem to be when he'll get to the show and whether he'll play first or third base.

Here They All Come - The Pirates are stacked with third base candidates in the lower levels of the system after drafting a small army of the critters in 2008. They all have the same scouting report: hit for a good average, not enough power for a corner position, and field a ground ball like it's a live hand grenade.

Matt Hague is the top of the crop, being rushed into service briefly at State College and then Hickory, where he hit for a nice average and showed a little pop (combined .322/6/32). He could move up a level this year, but he'll probably leave the hot corner for first or the OF. Hague was drafted in the 9th round from Oklahoma State.

Jeremy Farrell was Pittsburgh's 8th round selection from Virginia, and played at State College (.287/1/23). He struck out every four at bats and fielded terribly at third, though his time was split between the corners, and he showed much better leather at first.

Matthew Payne was a late round pick from NC State and spent the year at State College (.278/0/12). He played some outfield, and like Farrell, was a sub-.900 fielder at third base.

Bobby Spain was a mid-round selection from Oklahoma City U., an NAIA school, in 2007 and after a hot start (.312/5/43), missed most of Hickory's season with a broken wrist. He earned a spot on the Sally League All-Stars, and seems the most likely to hold on to his position somewhere behind Pedro. At least his glove work breaks the .900 mark - he had a .901 fielding percentage.

Expect a lot of shuffling in the organization regarding the hot corner. Where Alvarez plays and how quickly he advances will impact some careers, and the sheer number of infielders the Pirates drafted in 2008 will morph a couple of middle infield types to third with today's third basemen heading to first or the OF, a pair of spots that badly need shored up in the bushes.

The position is top heavy with prospects - a good thing - and allows the suits some time to decide on players' talents and their best positions at the lower levels.

Labor Day Scribbles

> The Pirate roster will expand in Cincy tomorrow. We've heard of a posse of possible call-ups being considered, although the Bucs have to balance PT with bench clutter.

It would make sense to further evaluate some pitching (Ross Ohlendorf, Jimmy Barthmaier - tho he's slated to go to Arizona, he needs some innings, - Craig Hansen, TJ Beam), middle infield (Brian Bixler, and possibly Luis Cruz too, according to Dejan, even though he's not on the 40-man), catchers Ronny Paulino and Robinzon Diaz, and Steve Pearce.

We'd pay to see Neil Walker go head-to-head with Andy LaRoche, although that scenario looks like it's a long shot. He's not on the 40-man, although a quick look at the protected pitchers shows that all the deadwood hasn't been cleared out yet.

If we read the rules right, Walker has to go on the 40-man before next year's Rule 5 draft anyway as a fourth year pro, while Andrew McCutchen still has a season to go, which is why they're in no hurry to call him up yet and burn a spot (plus, of course, prematurely starting that pesky service time clock).

The new suits say that no one has a position given to him. We'd like to see that put into action, especially as it's a Littlefield player vs Huntington player competition. Walker certainly deserves a look, comparing his play of the past few weeks against LaRoche's.

Remember the gnashing of teeth when Steve Pearce's shot was cut short? Well, Walker was the team MVP, not Pearce or Cutch. Walker had more HRs and 20 more RBI than Pearce, while his average was just nine points lower. It's time to see him play.

> George Von Benko of MLB.com says September is going to be an important month for the Bucs, according to GM Neal Huntington:

"Every game we play from here on out is an audition, for all of us," Huntington said.

Huntington indicated there are a core of players in place, but nothing is a given in the Pirates organization.

"I don't want to throw anybody under the bus, but the reality is the days of scholarships are over," Huntington explained. "We need to continue to work hard and we need to continue to play hard, and they need to show that they are the best option. We have to take the best 25 and we have to work hard to win ballgames. We're not here to be satisfied to win 81 games. We want to be the best we can. We want to win."

We'll see. Actions speak volumes.

> Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus has a history of Scott Boras challenges against the MLB draft at Boras vs Baseball - A Primer. Don't underestimate Slick Scott.

> Dirt Dog Doug Mientkiewicz is listed as day-to-day after he injured his left hip flexor and groin on Saturday night. Ditto for Jack Splat, who opened a nasty gash on his finger yesterday.

> 1B Jonel Pacheco has been named Altoona's 2008 MVP. The 25-year old finished Sunday's contest with a .286 average, 17 doubles, 12 home runs and 52 RBI in 115 games.

The Curve also presented their annual “Pitcher of the Year” award to RHP Juan Mateo. In 32 appearances out of the bullpen, Mateo, who was signed as a minor league free agent in early May, is 7-1 with five saves and a 2.12 ERA.

C Milver Reyes was named the winner of the club's annual "Unsung Hero Award," and the "Big Money Player of the Year Award" went to OF Brad Corley.

> George Von Benko of MLB.com reports on the Bradenton prospects:

A couple of the young Pirates posted outstanding numbers -- third baseman Jarek Cunningham batted .318 with five home runs and 22 RBIs, and second baseman Adenson Chourio hit .335 with 30 stolen bases.

"[Cunningham] played some shortstop and some third base," (manager Tom) Prince reported. "He's just a solid person who went about his business very professionally and has a bright future ahead of him.

"Chourio is ... a very exciting young player and plays good defense at second base and stole a lot of bases. He just fit into the system real well." Prince also singled out a couple of members of his pitching staff.

"We had a couple of left-handers that did a real nice job for us," Prince offered. "Nelson Pereira out of Nicaragua, and Tyler Cox and Brent Klinger, a kid out of the Draft who did a great job. Klinger is a big kid who throws the ball hard. Basically we're trying to get these guys to throw strikes and they did an outstanding job."

OF Edward Garcia and 2B Chourio (who at the age of 22 is a GCL senior citizen) were sent to State College to get a brief taste of A ball. The Spikes season ends September 4th.

> Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com has a nice piece on long-time Buc broadcaster Lanny Frattare at Frattare Joins Frick Hopefuls.

> So far, so good with instant replay. It started this weekend, and no calls were overturned. Only home run calls can be reviewed to determine whether or not a ball was over the fence, fair or foul, or subject to fan interference.

Sunday Stuff

Ten in a row. Wow.

The only suspense is whether Andy LaRoche's 45-foot dribbler, picked up and dropped by CC Sabathia, should be a hit or an error. Was it a no-hitter or one-hitter? That's what the Pirate season has come to in 2008.

> 3B Neil Walker was named the 2008 Indianapolis Indians MVP after hitting .245 with a team-high 16 homers, seven triples and 79 RBI through 130 games so far this season.

Walker, rated by Baseball America as the Pirates #2 prospect entering 2008, owns a .946 fielding percentage in 130 games in his first full season at third base. The converted catcher also ranks among the International League leaders in games played (5th, 130), triples (T-9th, 7) and RBI (T-9th, 79).

Other Tribe awards will go to Andrew McCutchen (Rookie of the Year), Steve Pearce (Slugger of the Year), Brian Bixler (Defensive Player of the Year), and Jesse Chavez (Henry Smock Relief Pitcher of the Year).

> Jim Negrych has been named to the Carolina League’s All-Star Team for his work at A Lynchburg, even though he's been at AA Altoona for a month. His current combined .359 batting average is third in Minor League Baseball, and he's still second in total hits in the Carolina League.

Negrych was selected in the 6th round of the 2006 Player Draft by the Pirates out of the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a First Team All-American second baseman. He's one of three players in Pitt history to accumulate 200 career hits.

> The Pirates will send RHPs Jimmy Barthmaier, Jared Hughes, Jeff Sues, and Mike Crotta to the Scottsdale Scorpions to play in the fall Arizona League. C Steve Lerud and 2B Shelby Ford will join them. The Pirates have yet to select an outfielder; AA and AAA players are eligible for the roster, along with one A player (Crotta).

> Add another ex-Pirate to the unemployment lines. The Phils released RHP Kris Benson, who was pitching in AAA Lehigh Valley rehabbing from right shoulder surgery. The 33-year old was 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA and 1.67 WHIP at LV. He also had tendinitis and a groin pull this year. Even Anna can't kiss away all those boo-boos.

Benson was 43-49 for Pittsburgh with a 4.26 ERA from 1999-2004, when he was traded to the Mets with Jeff Keppinger for Jose Bautista and Ty Wiggington. His overall MLB stats line is 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA. He never became the next big thing.

> The Phils picked up another old Bucco, Matt Stairs, for the stretch run. He was hitting .250 with 11 HRs and 44 RBI at Toronto. He was a fan favorite when played here in 2003, batting .292 with 20 homers and 57 RBI. Philly is his 11th MLB team.