Walker became power hitter in 2014
BRADENTON, Fla. — Neil Walker insists he is not a power hitter.
“Just a hitter who can drive the ball on occasion,” the Pirates switch-hitting second baseman said before a recent spring training game.
However, Walker’s statistics from the 2014 season suggest that he is a power hitter. His 23 home runs and .475 slugging percentage were career highs while he also had a .271 batting average in 137 games.
Though Walker has hit at least 12 home runs in six consecutive season, his high had been 16 until last year.
According to Fangraphs, Walker showed a tendency to pull the ball more last year than at any stage of his career. Of his 23 home runs, 16 were pulled.
“I think I kind of came into my own as far as what I was trying to do offensively and my approach and getting my swing off better than I ever have in the past,” Walker said.
Walker isn’t ready to predict how many homers he will hit this season.
However, something Walker is certain of is that there will likely be plenty of talk show chatter about his contract status throughout the season.
The Pirates beat Walker in a salary arbitration hearing in February. Walker asked for $9.5 million while the team offered $8.5 million.
Walker is not eligible for free agency until after next season but general manager Neal Huntington said in December that the Pirates were amenable to working out a long-term contract.
However, those talks turned out to be of little substance and Walker believes it would be counterproductive to comment on them.
“It’s time to think about the season,” he said.
The Pirates open the season Monday at the Cincinnati Reds.
“You have to kind of separate the financial part from the game of baseball itself and try to remove the emotional and the personal side of things,” said Walker, who is the Pirates’ player representative to the Major League Baseball Players Association.
“It’s a growing experience, and it’s something that a lot of guys go through when you get to this point in your career. But, to have it behind me and to be focusing on the 2015 season and the Pittsburgh Pirates is something that I’m very happy about right now. I think we have a chance to have a really special season.”