PITTSBURGH - Neil Walker spent his childhood watching the Pittsburgh Pirates struggle. About four weeks ago it became obvious an opportunity to keep going wasn’t going to immediately materialize. Walker hit .267 with 149 home runs and 609 RBIs in 1,306 games with six teams, the vast majority of them in Pittsburgh. Yet with Walker in arbitration and nearing free agency, Pittsburgh dealt him to the Mets in December 2015 for pitcher Jon Niese. Walker understands the economics of baseball don’t lend itself to storybook endings for players who aren’t stars but perpetual grinders.

Source: thestar April 21, 2021 19:52 UTC