H/W: 6-3 215 lb. B/T: S/R DOB: 9/10/85
The Pirates former catching prospect continued his acclimation to the hot corner and established career highs in HR and RBI totals. Walker spent the entire season at AAA Indianapolis hitting .242 with 16 HR 80 RBI 10 SB and a combined 32 doubles and triples. Walker is an above average athlete who is well built with projectible power from both sides of the plate. He continued to make strides defensively last season cutting his errors down from 27 to just 19. He shows good agility and has drawn rave reviews within the organization for his extraordinary makeup and work ethic. The big bugaboo with Neil continues to be his substandard plate discipline. Last season, Walker had a dismal OBP of just .280 due in large part to his unacceptible 29 BB/102 K ratio. The Pirates still remain quite bullish about Walker's potential and are reportedly giving him an opportunity to compete with Andy LaRoche this spring for the starting 3B spot. There is enough upside in Walker's skill set to believe that he could well succeed in that challenge.
2009 Projection: This spring will be huge for the former '04 1st rounder. At 23 years old, Neil Walker is fast approaching the time where his development should be almost complete. The biggest thing to watch, of course, is the plate discipline. This alone is the main determinant of Walker's future success. His ceiling remains quite high and opportunities within the Pirates system should abound. If he struggles this spring, expect him to be shipped back to AAA for more seasoning before being called up later in the season.
Key Neil Walker Baseball Cards:
- 2004 Bowman Chrome Draft Auto
- 2004 Bowman Sterling Auto
- 2004 Donruss Elite Extra #/1343
- 2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Auto
- 2004 SP Prospects Auto #/500
 2012 Topps Neil Walker Auto Golden Moments Autograph $1.29 (2 Bids) |
 2012 Topps Series 1 Neil Walker Golden Moments Auto $2.58 (2 Bids) |
 NEIL WALKER *Auto* Topps 2012 Series 1 Golden Moments Autograph SP! $1.29 (2 Bids) |
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