Pine-Richland grad and former Pirates second baseman Neil Walker confirmed he has retired from Major League Baseball on Tuesday, so what’s next for “The Pittsburgh Kid.”
At 35, Walker isn’t a “kid” anymore, he’s married with a couple of children and tells the Fan Morning Show he plans on spending time with his family before he decides what’s next.
“Continuing to kinda play catch up with you know everything from having a Fourth of July for the first time in 20 years, to having a summer vacation with the family, all those kind of things,” said Walker.
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While he isn’t exactly sure what he’ll do after that, he knows it will be centered around baseball and possibly with the Pirates.
“I’m going to explore some things hopefully within the Pirates organization if it’s possible and see what might be available on that front,” said Walker.
He adds he’s kept in contact with the organization over the past few years.
“We’ve kind of kicked the tires on a lot of different aspects,” said Walker. “I really have a soft spot in my heart for you know a player development type of things and helping the youth in a certain way. I also feel like something like broadcasting could be something of interest for me as well.”
Walker says conversations with the club continue and it would make sense. Walker still lives in the Pittsburgh area and could bring a wealth of knowledge to young players.
Fan co-host Colin Dunlap pointed out that with Jim Colony retiring in the next few years, that would open up a spot on the Fan Morning Show…if he wants to get up that early.
Currently Walker is involved in a program called “No Offseason Exposure” near Deer Lakes that helps local baseball players “accelerate their career and hopefully help them get into colleges and to play at the next level or even beyond.”