The Pittsburgh native enjoyed one of his finest seasons for the hometown Pirates, breaking the mark for home runs from second basemen with 23 as well as winning his first Silver Slugger award. In the field the Homeboy continued to flash good leather with a .992 field percentage. Problem is, Walker only appeared in 137 games, suffering through appendicitis and a bum back. There are rumors that the Bucs have been wary of signing Walker to a long-term deal due to his durability issues.
Walker earned a $5,750,000 contract in arbitration last season and is expected to pull another big payday at the arbitrator's table again this year. The Real Deal is due to hit free agency in 2017. This offseason, word on the street was that the Pirates were opening negotiations on a long-term deal for the former 1st round pick from Pine-Richland High School. That was before the Pirates won the right to negotiate with South Korean INF Jung-ho Kang. Some feel that the Pirates may be so gung-ho on Jung-ho that they let Walker go either via trade or in free agency. Still there are others that suggest that if the Pedro experiment doesn't work, Kang will play 2nd and Walker will move to 1B.
Although Walker has shown much versatility throughout his career, getting drafted as a catcher, moving to third base and now as one of the league's top second basemen, why mess with a good thing? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And don't break it by trying to move Walker yet again. Many hope that the Pirates and the Hometown Kid can work out a deal that will see him retire in the Black-N-Gold. Perhaps the Pirates want to wait another season, to be sure the power stroke is still there and that he can stay on the field. Walker will turn 30 this September. They may be apprehensive about a long-term deal and the rumors of one may have just been lip-service.
Mrs. Black-N-Gold certainly hopes that's not the case. The Pittsburgh Kid has given them everything they've asked for and more. He's turned himself into one of their most reliable offensive weapons. When people came down on the switch-hitter for his lack of offense against lefties, Neil showed them that, given the opportunity, he is way more than a platoon-player, battering lefthanders and righthanders alike last year. Every time he was asked to change positions, he picked up his glove and excelled at his new spot. He is the epitome of the consummate professional. The Pirates would be lucky to have him finish his career where it began, on the friendly confines of the Three Rivers.
Now the Pirates need Homeboy to step up to the plate again this year and quite his critics once and for all. It's time the Real Deal get the deal and the accolades that he so richly deserves as he helps the hometown team get their 6th World Series trophy. "Local Boy Makes Good". What a headline that would be. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
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