Neil Walker, Retired


Date of Birth: 9/10/1985
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Neil Walker, retired infielder, is the son of former major league pitcher Tom Walker. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004 and he played in the minor leagues through 2009. He joined the Pirates for 17 games in 2009.

In 2010, Walker played in 110 games with the Pirates. He batted .296 with 126 hits, 29 doubles, 12 home runs, and 66 RBIs. The following season was Walker's only full season. In 2011, he played in 159 games and batted .273 with 163 hits, 36 doubles, 12 home runs, and 83 RBIs. That season, he became the Pirates regular second baseman.

Walker had back issues in 2012 and he played in only 129 games that season. In 2013, he batted .251 with 120 hits, 24 doubles, and 16 home runs in 133 games. He won his first Silver Slugger award in 2014. He finished the season with 139 hits, 25 doubles, 23 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a .271 batting average in 137 games.

In 2015, Walker batted .269 with 146 hits, 32 doubles, 16 home runs, and 71 RBIs in 151 games. As the Pirates' second baseman, he made 418 assists, 103 double plays, 236 putouts, and 7 errors in 146 games. He had two strikeouts in three at-bats in the postseason Wild Card game.

Walker was traded to the New York Mets on December 9, 2015. Back issues limited his playing time with the Mets in 2016 to 113 games. He finished the season with 116 hits, a career high 23 home runs, 55 RBIs, and a .282 batting average. Defensively, as the Mets' second baseman in 111 games, he made 297 assists, 65 double plays, 181 putouts, and 7 errors.

The Mets traded Walker to the Milwaukee Brewers on August 12, 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 102 hits, 21 doubles, 14 home runs, 49 RBIs, 77 strikeouts to 55 walks, and a .265 batting average in 73 games with the Mets and 38 games with the Brewers. Defensively, as a second baseman in 95 games, he made 200 assists, 50 double plays, 141 putouts, and 6 errors.

Walker became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed with the New York Yankees on March 12, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 76 hits, 46 RBIs, 87 strikeouts to 42 walks, and a .219 batting average in 113 games. Defensively, he played 42 games at first base, 32 games second base, and 25 games at third base. He also played in the outfield for the first time in his major league career, playing 1 game in left field and 15 games in right field. In the postseason, he had one hit and one RBI in four at-bats in four games.

Walker became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed with the Miami Marlins on January 29, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with a right quad strain and with a finger sprain. He finished the season with 88 hits, 19 doubles, 38 RBIs, 77 strikeouts to 42 walks, and a .261 batting average in 115 games. Defensively, he played 69 games at first base, 1 game at second base, and 26 games at third base.

Walker became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on January 22, 2020. He played in just 18 games in 2020.

Walker elected free agency on September 14, 2020. He retired on April 20, 2021.

Career batting statistics for Walker through 2020 include:

  • 1,306 games played
  • 1,224 hits
  • 238 doubles
  • 149 home runs
  • 609 RBIs
  • 931 strikeouts to 460 walks
  • .231 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Walker at second base through 2020 include:

  • 1,050 games played
  • 2,796 assists
  • 653 double plays
  • 1,895 putouts
  • 56 errors
  • .988 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Neil Walker
ESPN - Neil Walker