But I'd leave him in AA at least until the end of July except out of necessity.  He hasn't gotten a full season in the minors due to injury and putting him at AA at 21 was already a push given his history to this point.  He's back ahead of the curve - well ahead of the curve actually-  but I'd like him to consolidate those gains.

If he's up in AAA in August or September he'll still be on track for a promotion to the Show at age 22, which is more than ambitious.

injuries slowed him down last season, which affected his defense and offense more then anything.....he's a student of the game who seemed to be developing as a fine catcher and i believe the bat would have come around regardless of position.....pirates showed way to much impatience with him, but what is done is done, i don't forsee a move back to C now

as for his development, i'd recommend leaving him in AA for the time being with a push to AAA near the end of the season (as he got last year to AA).....he still is getting used to 3B and keeping him and cutch together also is a good idea in my books

Article from the Altoona Mirror:

Neil Walker went 4-for-4 with a homer to help Altoona to a 6-2 win over Portland before 3,109 fans Tuesday. The prized third base prospect no longer has to deal with the rigors of catching, which he says could be a big reason for his solid start at the plate.

``From a confidence standpoint it's enormous,'' Walker, hitting .283 and tied for the team lead with five homers, said. ``I've never been one to start off good. Every single year it's been a struggle this first month and a half, two months of the season.''

Not this season.

Many people wondered how Walker would adjust defensively at third base, but another component of his switch didn't draw much attention in the preseason.

``It's been helpful that I haven't been catching,'' Walker said. ``It's a very, very big thing.''

Some nights, Walker said catching would ``really take a toll'' in his third and fourth at-bats.

``It was almost to the point where you're thinking, 'I just want to get this over with,' so you swing at the first pitch,'' he said. ``If I get a hit, great. If I don't, who cares? That hasn't been the case this year.''

Walker, the first Altoona player with four hits in a game this season, homered leading off the fifth inning to ignite a four-run rally that erased a 2-0 deficit. The long ball barely cleared the wall in left field, but as Walker pointed out, getting away from catching seems to be helping him drive the ball better.

``The one thing I've noticed from years past, when catching, I'd hit balls and they'd be off the wall, caught at the warning track, bounce at the warning track,'' Walker said. ``This year, the five home runs that I have, they haven't been bombs, but they have kind of snuck out.

``You wonder if it would be any different if I was catching.''