There are a few negative things that could be said about the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. However, perhaps surprisingly to some, there are also some good things happening for the club. The organization has improved its minor league system recently and is showing signs of life. One of the strongest areas in the organization is infield depth.

Indianapolis (AAA)
The big name in the Indianapolis infield is Neil Walker, the club’s former No. 1 draft pick from 2004. However, his ceiling light is dimming after hitting just .242/.280/.414 in Triple-A last season. He has begun 2009 at the same level by hitting just .214/.250/.429 in 10 games. Walker lost a lot of value when he relocated from behind the dish to the hot corner. Shortstop Brian Bixler’s name will sound familiar after the infielder appeared in 50 games for the big-league Pirates last season, but he hit just .157/.229/.194. So far this year, Bixler is hitting .325/.400/.525 in 10 games. He’s also tearing the cover off the ball against southpaws with a .444 average in 18 at-bats. Second baseman Shelby Ford is struggling with a line of .143/.200/.357 in just five games as he did not start his minor-league season until April 14.

Altoona (AA)
Shortstop Brian Friday is perhaps one of the fastest risers in the Pirates system, after being selected out of Rice University in the third round of the 2007 draft. Already in Double-A, the right-handed hitter is batting .500/.607/.864 in six games. He also has six walks and just three strikeouts so far, as well as a .588 batting average against right-handed pitchers. Second-baseman-turned-third-baseman Jim Negrych continues to produce with the bat after hitting .359 combined at two levels in 2008. The left-handed hitter is batting .289/.400/.421 in 10 games but he continues to show below-average power for a third baseman with no homers and an ISO below .100.

Lynchburg (A+)
The club’s 2008 third-round draft pick, Jordy Mercer has settled into High-A ball for his first full season and is hitting .256/.313/.419 in 11 games. He has at least one hit in his last six games. It can’t be the most comfortable feeling, as a third baseman, to look over your shoulder and see Pedro Alvarez walk into the clubhouse. But that’s what happened to Matt Hague, the club’s ninth round draft pick from 2008 as a senior from Oklahoma State University. Luckily, the Pirates simply shifted him across the diamond to first base (He was already considered a poor fielding third baseman). The move has not affected Hague, who is hitting .333/.370/.359 with 11 games, although he has just one extra base hit. Alvarez, meanwhile, is off to a slow start with a line of .250/.375/.528 with three homers in 11 games. He’s six for his last 15.

West Virginia (A)
Infielder Chase D’Arnaud, the older brother of Phillies’ catching prospect Travis, is off to a nice start by batting .407/.419/.519 with two stolen bases in eight games. He’s nine for his last 18 but oddly has yet to score a run this season. After injuring his knee last year in high school, which hurt his promising draft status, shortstop Jarek Cunningham, 19, will miss the season after undergoing surgery for a torn ACL.

The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Neil Walker out of a local high school in the first round of the 2004 draft (11th overall). At the time, he was a young, promising, switch-hitting catcher. More than four years later, though, Walker is on the cusp of the Major Leagues but he has been converted to the hot corner.

The move from behind the plate really does hurt Walker’s potential quite a bit. With catchers, any type of offence is considered a bonus, as long as they play solid defence and call a good game. At third base, though, the bat is under the microscope as this position is traditionally a power position.

In five minor league seasons, Walker’s line looks like this: .273/.320/.426. That is OK, but not spectacular for a former No. 1 draft pick hoping to play third base at the Major League level, especially given that Walker hit just .242/.280/.414 in 505 at-bats during the 2008 Triple-A season. On the plus side, he did hit a career-high 16 homers and drove in 80 runs.

On the downside, he walked just 5.4% of the time, had an OPS of .697 and an ISO of .172, none of which screams impact bat. Walker will be just 24 next season but he will need to make some adjustments and get his bat going if he hopes to avoid getting left behind. Earlier this season, Pittsburgh obtained top third base prospect Andy LaRoche from the Los Angeles Dodges and he has a head start on claiming the title of third baseman of the future.