Neil Walker’s magical rookie season continued Sunday afternoon, extending his hitting streak to 13 games and hitting a two-run homer in the Pirates 3-1 win over the NL East division leader Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
Walker’s surprising rookie season has been under appreciated in Pittsburgh and nationally.
You rarely hear his name in the mix for the NL rookie of the year but the numbers show that Walker deserves to be right in the discussion with the likes of Buster Posey, Jason Heyward and Mike Stanton.
Walker who has five home runs and 10 RBI’s in his last nine games, is batting .312 on the season with 10 home runs and 51 RBI’s in just 85 games played. He has also played a good second base in the field.

In a one-on-one comparison with Atlanta Braves rookie phenom Jason Heyward (118GP – .283 – 16HR – 65 RBI), Walker has a higher batting average (.312 to .283) and a higher slugging percentage than Heyward (.495 to .474).
In a one-on-one comparison with Giants rookie Buster Posey, Walker’s numbers are close with the Giants potential franchise catcher. In 85 games played, the same amount as Walker, Posey is batting .325 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI’s.
In a one-on-one comparison with Marlins rookie standout Mike Stanton (75GP – .240 – 16HR – 44RBI) Walker has a higher batting average (.312 to .240), more RBI’s (51 to 44), higher sluggling percentage (.495 to .487), and a higher on-base percentage (.354 to .308).