No one really expected Neil Walker to make the seamless transition from catcher to third base.

And he hasn’t. Not exactly.

Walker’s committed six errors over his first 15 games, but what can be expected from a player who caught every day over his entire career before moving to the hot corner and is now being expected to learn a new position on the fly two levels away from the big leagues?

“Not too much,” says an American League scout who followed Walker for eight days this season. “In my mind, if you ask a player to make that kind of long term commitment, you move him down a level or two levels and take baby steps.
“In this situation it makes more sense to do that. Walker is still just 21 years old, and he didn’t really play much in A ball.”

Walker played 81 games total at high Class A Lynchburg in 2005 and 2006, but most of last season was spent as the club’s designated hitter as he recovered from offseason wrist surgery.

Given the fact that he only caught five games at Double-A Altoona last season, and just over 50 at Lynchburg before being promoted, the Pirates thought Walker’s intelligence level, athleticism and makeup would all help the transition to the hot corner.

And so far, it’s been a good move, despite the .850 fielding percentage.

“He’s been real good,” Altoona manager Tim Leiper said. “Early on, there was a little fundamental stuff that became a little sloppy, but it took one time talking to him and the difference was night and day. I’m very excited about what he’s doing. You look at him out there and you cannot tell he hasn’t been playing that position his whole life. Things are creeping up on him, like different plays from different angles—things he’s never seen before—those always surprise you because you’ve never seen them before, but he’s really handled himself well. He’s able to field bad hops, make good throws, his throwing is accurate. He does a lot of good things . . . He’s a good third baseman now and he’s only going to get better.

“This is a challenge for him. This is a new level, this is a good league and he hasn’t like breezed through. He’s a heck of an athlete—great athlete—but he also needs to be a better baseball player and he’s going to learn how to be a better baseball player this year.”

In addition to all the defensive aspects of the game Walker has to learn, he needs to keep his bat going at a high level. The 2004 first-round pick is hitting .288/.328/.390 in 58 at-bats. The other question remains whether or not he’ll hit for enough power for the position, but the 21-year-old is just focusing on what he can control now as he continues to learn on the fly.

“I think coming from catcher where separating offense from defense is one of the most important things you need to be able to do, it’s prepared me for that,” Walker said. “If you’re still worried about your last at-bat as a catcher, that kind of screws yourself and the pitcher up. I’ve been able to carry that mentality over to this new position.

“Now that I don’t have to worry about the pitcher or calling a game, I think I’ve been able to separate things pretty well and pretty evenly. I’ve been able to focus more on my hitting, my body feels a lot better and I feel a lot more loose at the plate. I’m still learning, but I’m tough on myself. I have to keep getting better in both areas and I’m working to do that.”