Neil Walker

[jmlevy]

Is all hope lost? Will he disappear now that Andy LaRoche and Alvarez are widely regarded as the future 3B in Pittsburgh? Do you foresee a position change or trade in the near future?

[Havok1517]

If he can rebound with the bat, he'll be good trade bait.

[kab21]

If he can rebound with the bat, he'll be good trade bait.

Rebound? 2009 was his rebound season. But he's not dead as a prospect. He's put up .800-ish OPS seasons in '07 and '09 and he's only 23 (or now 24). Pedro will definitely be playing somewhere soon but a lot of people expect him to move across the diamond in the next couple of years. LaRoche really hasn't shown that he's an everyday player yet so Walker could steal 3B from him. Or I think there is talk that he's athletic enough to maybe move to 2B or definitely be able to move to the OF. If Walker can build on last season the Pirates will find a place to play him when the time comes.

[Pogotheostrich]

Maybe he isn't dead a prospect cause I could see him making the majors eventually be he was dead as a fantasy prospect the moment he was moved from catching. Now it seems the Pirates don't know what to do with him so they are trying to make him a utility player.

It's official now. Pine-Richland's Neil Walker is being transformed into a utility player: 3B-2B-OF-C. Second base seems to be the first priority for him to learn in camp, then outfield. The Pirates figure he has down third and catching. And, of course, as Walker mentioned in a Hot Stove Report two Sundays ago, he is all for trying to help the team by playing such a role.

http://www.bucsdugout.com/2010/2/23/1323783/neil-walker-now-a-utility-player

The hitting just completely underwhelms me. He has OK power but a career .317 OBP mark in the minors. I don't see how he ever gets regular playing time unless the hitting vastly improves.