BRADENTON, Fla. -- On the half-field that is fenced off and fairly hidden from the rest of the Pirate City complex, Neil Walker formally began his conversion from catcher to third baseman.

Baby steps first.

Tony Beasley, the Pirates' minor-league infield coordinator, spent about an hour yesterday afternoon hitting grounders toward Walker, from only about 40 feet away, all soft, all right at him. Walker then would toss lightly across the diamond to first baseman Brad Eldred, the only other participant.

And from this, Walker, one of the system's top hitting prospects, must evolve into an everyday third baseman by the time the Class AA Altoona Curve opens its season April 5.

"He has the physical tools," director of player development Brian Graham said. "He has the hands, above-average arm strength, the ability to throw from all angles, agility, balance, athleticism, good instincts ... he has what it takes to be a big-league third baseman. But he's starting out in the infant stages, so there's a lot of catching up to do."

The challenges?

"Reading hops, creating angles, going to the backhand, slow rollers, bunts ... those things are going to take time," Graham said. "We call things instinctive in this business, but they're actually the result of experience."

Walker hardly seemed flustered, during or after the drills.

"Right now, it's a lot of footwork and reading balls off the bat," he said. "Once I get that down, I think the rest will come slowly but surely. And I can take a lot from my catching into playing third base. Maybe the most important is not being afraid of bad hops. It's kind of like catching without the gear in that way."

Bullington takes mound

Starter Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 overall choice in the 2002 draft, was one of 16 pitchers to throw a 40-pitch bullpen session. It was twice the amount of pitches he threw in a session in October and his most intense workout since shoulder surgery in late 2005.

"I felt great out there," Bullington said. "The changeup felt good. The slider and curveball are still coming, but I'll take it for the first one."

Kuwata does, too

Japanese starter Masumi Kuwata took the mound for the first time and threw a crisp session. Working from a high windup reminiscent of countryman Hideo Nomo, his velocity appeared low, as expected. But the command and movement was sharp enough to draw unsolicited praise from his catcher, Ryan Doumit.

"He comes as advertised," Doumit said. "He knows what he's doing out there."

After the session, Kuwata bowed to Doumit.

"Very cool," Doumit said.

Buried treasure

Romulo Sanchez, one of three pitchers who missed the opening of camp because of visa problems, arrived and participated in all drills. Of the other two: Tony Armas Jr. could arrive as early as tomorrow from Venezuela, and Serguey Linares likely will be delayed longer in the Dominican Republic because of his status as a Cuban defector.

Also among the 16 who pitched: Salomon Torres, Matt Capps, Damaso Marte, Shawn Chacon, Josh Sharpless, Shane Youman and Sean Burnett.

Brad Lincoln, the 2006 first-round pick shut down Friday by a strained elbow, yesterday described his injury as "a little tightness, a little soreness." He said he preferred to wait for a throwing program -- one that will start in two to four weeks -- before predicting his status. "We're thinking it's just tendinitis or something, but we don't know."

The workout today begins at 9:50 a.m.