Courtesy photo Ex-Curve and Pirate player Neil Walker talks to Curve management during the Curve Charities Gala on Saturday night.

For many Pirates, Altoona plays an integral part in their journey to get to the Major Leagues.

Former Pirate and current AT&T SportsNet broadcaster Neil Walker is no different, though, his time in this city means more than most.

Walker returned to Altoona to be the feature speaker at the inaugural Curve Charities Gala Saturday night and it seemed as though he never left as he mingled with fans both young and old at the event.

“It’s been a couple years since I’ve been back,” Walker said. “I loved it. I remember where I stayed and my teammates that I had here at the time, guys like Andrew McCutchen and Steve Pearce, and some of these guys, all these guys I’m still friends with to this day.”

Walker was a first round pick of the Pirates in the 2004 MLB Draft out of Pine-Richland High School just two hours from Peoples Natural Gas Field. It’s no surprise that Walker was complementary of both his time in Altoona during the 2006 and 2007 seasons as well as the city’s proximity to his childhood home.

“The proximity to where I grew up two hours away from here, it was something I was thrilled about when I got to play here,” Walker said. “On off days and things like that, I used to be able to get home and get a home cooked meal and have my mom do my laundry.”

While that might not seem like much, the ability to have a home cooked meal during the grind of the season can go a long way for a minor league baseball player like Walker was.

Minor league baseball weeds out hundreds of players year after year who can’t handle the grind or have the mental toughness it takes to make it to the Majors.

“I learned a lot in my time and more than that, once you get out of the minor leagues and see what the Major League environment is like,” Walker said. “You don’t want to go back so more than anything that’s a valuable lesson.”

Those lessons learned in Altoona and beyond helped Walker spend 11 years in the Majors with the Pirates, Mets, Brewers, Yankees, Marlins and Phillies playing in 1,306 games and amassing 1,224 hits and 149 home runs.

“It was a really awesome time in my life and career,” Walker said.

Now, well into retirement and enjoying it, he feels it’s his turn to give back to the communities who helped shape him into the player and person he is today.

“I’m so humbled and fortunate that I got to play in Pittsburgh when I did and play with some of the players I did,” Walker said. “The community was just so great, the fanbase and people that I’ve gotten to know. I certainly feel like giving it back is something important to me and I’ll continue to do so.”