Neil Walker: The pride of Pittsburgh
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Neil Walker made a goal to become a Major League baseball player. While a gifted overall athlete – playing baseball, football, and basketball in high school – his decision was made easier given his lineage as the son of a Major League pitcher, former Montreal Expo Tom Walker.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates made him the 11th overall pick of the 2004 MLB draft, the feeling was surreal. After all, his hometown team, the team he had followed as a child, was now his employer.
Walker’s exposure to the game, as both an immediate family member and fan, played a significant role in his becoming the everyday Major League second baseman he is today.
“I’ve prepared myself since I was a little kid, this is all I wanted to do,” Walker said. “I’ve [had] some great people around me, like a great family that supports me.”
Initially a standout catcher in high school, the Pirates converted Walker to a third baseman in 2007 when he was playing with their Double-A affiliate, the Altoona Curve.
He made his Major League debut with the Pirates as a late-season call up at the end of the 2009 season, but struggled offensively with just seven hits in 17 games and was set to open the 2010 season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
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Walker broadened his horizons that year, playing games at four positions: first, second, and third base, as well as left field. The sudden versatility couldn’t have come at a better time, as it expedited his route to the Major Leagues.
When the Pirates’ offseason trade acquisition that year, Akinori Iwamura, struggled mightily both offensively and defensively, they designated him for assignment, optioning him to Triple-A Indianapolis after failing to ship him out in a trade. That move allowed Walker, who was hitting .321/.392/.560 in Triple-A at the time, the chance to return to the Majors and prove that he was there to stay.
It’s not exactly the position Walker had envisioned playing at the Major League level, but he definitely didn’t and won’t complain about the decision.
“I certainly didn’t expect to be a second baseman in the big leagues, but I definitely knew that I was going to be here someday,” he said.
When Walker returned to the Pirates last year, he made his presence known and put a stranglehold on the starting second baseman job. In 110 games, he hit .296 with 44 extra-base hits and an .811 OPS, which was helped by his 34 walks.
In the end, it was his overall athleticism and ability to play multiple positions that fast tracked him to the Majors, and he feels that, despite having only played 21 games at second base in his career before his call up, the experience of just running with a new position will benefit him in the long run.
“When a position opened up, I was able to go into it even though it was a position that was very new to me,” the 25-year-old told The Good Point. “I think that goes a long way in terms of being mentally prepared as a baseball player and not knowing what’s going to happen to you next, but staying prepared.”
With the realistic chance of being the Pirates’ starting second baseman for years to come within his grasp, Walker knew that he would have to put in extra work in the offseason in order to ensure he’d stay with the Pirates for all of the 2011 season and beyond.
“This offseason I wanted to get stronger, it was my first offseason where I wasn’t playing winter ball, so I just wanted to make sure I healed up,” Walker said.
“I didn’t try to change anything from last year, but just tried to improve on what I was successful at doing. I definitely needed to improve defensively since I hadn’t ever really played second base, so I worked a lot in the offseason on second base stuff.”
After working hard over the offseason following a successful 2010 campaign, Walker continued to thrive in spring training, notching 30 hits in just 24 games, including nine for extra bases, en route to a .901 OPS. Though simple, Walker’s goals for his follow up performance are clear.
“Just improve. I don’t like to set numbers goals, I think that can consume you too much,” said Walker. “I don’t really have any exact goals other than to win every day.”
While the Pirates haven’t been winning every day, they are off to one of their most impressive starts in recent memory, a welcome change for a franchise that has suffered through 18 consecutive losing seasons.
Following a series win over the Chicago Cubs over the weekend, the Pirates took two of three games from the St. Louis Cardinals through a continuation of dominant pitching, led by offseason acquisition Kevin Correia.
Personally, Walker has contributed to the team’s early success, going 9-for-26 at the plate with a staggering 1.063 OPS, including eight RBIs and a grand slam.
While he hasn’t been with the Pirates for long, even he can notice that the team’s hot start, combined with a refreshing managerial change, has completely altered the morale in the clubhouse.
“It’s great, we added a couple of great guys, [Matt] Diaz, [Lyle] Overbay, and Correia, and those guys are going to help us in terms of veteran leadership and I think it’s going to be a good year,” Walker said.
While veterans were brought in over the offseason, Walker fits right in on a Pirates squad littered with youth. Just two players – Overbay, 34, and Diaz, 33 – were born before 1980. The energy that young, budding stars like Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez bring to the park every day is infectious, and the result has been a core group of passionate players in a new wave of talent that will grow together to make the Pirates successful once again.
It’s a unique situation, and it’s one that Walker feels will be instrumental in turning the Pirates into a contender once again.
“It’s a great opportunity. We have a lot of really good talent here and a lot of the younger guys that are here I played with in the minor leagues and I grew up with and learned this game with,” Walker said.
“I’m fortunate to be a part of it, and I think there’s a lot more winning right around the corner.”
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