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

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Popularity: 8% [?]

H/W:  6-2  210 lb.     B/T: L/R     DOB: 7/18/87

After a long and bitter contract negotiation, the Pittsburgh Pirates finally came to an agreement with the former Vanderbilt star after the August 14 deadline.  Alvarez is a very polished hitter who already has a bat that is close to major league ready.  His left-handed swing generates above average power and should hit for a fairly high batting average at the major league level.  Scouts have praised him for the high level of energy and competitive drive that he brings to the ballpark every day.  A broken hamate bone in his hand cut into Alvarez's '08 season, but he worked dilligently to get back on the field within a month of the injury.  When he did return, Pedro struggled to produce the same consistent power that he had demonstrated prior to the injury, which has some baseball officials concerned about potential lingering power issues.  Additionally, Alvarez's defensive tools at 3B are average across the board and some think that he will eventually need to make the switch over to 1B in the future.  All told, the Pirates have to be ecstatic to finally land their highest draft choice since selecting Bryan Bullington with the 1st overall pick in 2003.  All signs point to Alvarez being a much better player than Bullington, giving the Bucs hope that they will finally right the ship that has been sinking since the days of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla.

2009 Projection: Given the fact that Alvarez signed a major league contract, it is reasonable to believe that the Pirates will promote him aggressively to High-A Lynchburg to start the season.  Watch to see how his power numbers and plate discipline shape up early in the season.  If things look good, the Bucs will bump him to AA at some point in the season.  Adam LaRoche's future with Pittsburgh likely will not extend beyond the 2009 season and the Pirates would love to see either Alvarez or Adam's little brother Andy fill that position in the not too distant future.  Expect Pedro in this lineup at some point in 2010.

Key Pedro Alvarez Baseball Cards:

• 2008 Razor Auto #/499
• 2008 Razor Exclusives Auto
• 2008 Team USA Auto #/249

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Popularity: 8% [?]