By The Pirates on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, traded Neil Walker to the New York Mets, ending the Pittsburgh native’s 12-year tenure with the organization.
Walker made his athletic presence known at an early age, succeeding in a number of sports at Pine-Richland High School. He received a number of offers to play at the college level, among those playing football at Pitt and Penn State, but decided to follow the baseball route, getting drafted by his home team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, in 2004.
After a 12-year career that saw him win a Silver Slugger award in 2014 after hitting a career-high 23 home runs, he will now embark on a new journey with the Mets.