Late last Saturday, the Milwaukee Brewers acquired Neil Walker in a trade with the New York Mets. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Pirates are technically still in playoff contention, but fans wonder if management has done enough to make a run at the division. Should the Pirates have tried to bring back Walker, the former fan favorite?
Since Neil Walker left the Pittsburgh Pirates in early December of 2015, his name has become an iron rod of criticism.
Walker’s name isn’t brought up because of fan anger with his play in seven seasons with the Pirates, but rather because of the return for him and the team’s struggles in the two successive years.
Pirates general manager Neal Huntington dealt Walker because he was only under control for one more season and the team failed to agree on a multi-year deal. Part of the hesitancy on Huntington’s side seemed to be Walker’s injury history. The Pine-Richland native played over 140 games just twice in six full seasons with the Pirates, missing extensive time primarily due to back problems.
Fans were outraged when Walker was traded and would certainly love to have him back. Would the pros have outweighed the cons of a potential reunion?
How Walker could help the Pittsburgh Pirates
In three games since joining the Brewers, Walker is 5-10 at the plate and has played second and third base. Walker also played first base three times in his final six games at a Met. He’s always had a solid bat (career .273 batting average and 115 wRC+) and provided versatility as a switch-hitter.
Walker isn’t thought of as a home run hitter, but the extra pop in his bat could be very beneficial to this Pirates team. Last season with the Mets, Walker blasted 23 home runs, one less than the Pirates long ball leader, Andrew McCutchen. This year, Walker only has 11, but that would tie him with Jordy Mercer for fourth-most on the team.
He can do more than just homer too. Walker’s Isolated Power career average is .165, but he’s exceeded a .180 ISO in three of the past four seasons. Clearly, the 2017 Pirates wouldn’t mind having a bat like that.
Additionally, Walker has been fantastic in an area where the Pirates have struggled as a whole: hitting with runners in scoring position. Walker’s .390 average with RISP is sixth best in MLB and would be tops on the Pirates.
There’s no doubt that Walker’s bat would be welcome on the Pirates. He’d be a slight upgrade over Josh Harrison offensively. However, Walker may not be as strong as Harrison defensively.
How Walker would hurt the Pittsburgh Pirates
Despite the aforementioned defensive versatility of Walker, he hasn’t put up the finest defensive statistics. In six seasons of playing second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Walker posted a cumulative -11 Defensive Runs Saved and a -31.6 Ultimate Zone Rating. Walker only had one season with a positive DRS (9 in 2013) and never had a UZR above -1.2.
After his struggles at second with the Pirates, Walker turned around and had his only season without both a negative DRS (0) and UZR (9.3) in 2016. Perhaps he is turning the corner, but a defensive-minded team in the Pirates likely feels better with Harrison and his career 19 DRS and 2.1 UZR.
In addition, Walker’s contract was likely enough to steer the Pirates away from him. Walker is making $17.2 million this season and Pittsburgh obviously would not have had to pay that full total, but even a fraction of it may have been too much for Huntington for a rental player. Walker is a free agent after this season and retaining him after previous failed negotiations would be unlikely.
Probably best not to pursue
While bringing back Neil Walker may have made for a nice story, that’s not what the Pittsburgh Pirates needed. By acquiring Sean Rodriguez, the Pirates in effect were finished making moves to shore up their depth. That may change with Gregory Polanco on the disabled list again, but we’ve yet to see a move happen.
Walker’s bat would be a welcome addition to the lineup and his improved glove and versatility is admirable. However, there isn’t a spot for him in the lineup. Sure, David Freese probably should get a few more days off to avoid his inevitable weekly 0-4 night, but the Pirates have shown little desire to play him less despite publicly wishing to do so.
A reunion with Walker was unlikely, but it could still happen down the road. Would he be an upgrade over one of the current starters on the Pittsburgh Pirates? Perhaps, but his time in Pittsburgh ended because of a rocky relationship with management near the end. Don’t count out a return one day, but don’t expect Huntington to be the one that orchestrates the return.
Photo by Joy Frank-Collins
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