The catching conundrum

So a lot has been made of the Neil Walker switch to third base, and I think it probably should be; it's always a big deal when something happens with a top prospect. But it got me thinking about the position switch and just how big of a deal it actually is. My gut reaction was "Well, that's stupid. His bat is way more valuable behind the plate than it is at third base. Paulino's an average hitter as a catcher, if Walker catches and we have an average hitting third baseman, the benefit to our offense is much greater."

That was my gut reaction because, well, I think I always think negatively of whatever this front office does (can you blame me?) and it's a pretty logical way to think of things. Unfortunately, I think I may be logical to a fault here. If Walker is indeed a great hitting catcher, won't everyone clamor for him to be moved once he reaches the bigs to save his legs and keep his bat in the lineup? They're already talking about it for Joe Mauer. It's been an issue with Piazza for seemingly a millennium. Hell, it was even an issue with Jason Kendall back in his prime. They aren't moving him to first base or a corner outfield position where his bat will be totally lost in the crowd with every other masher, it can still be beneficial at third. I dunno, I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. At least he seems comfortable at third so far.