PHILADELPHIA – It has been no secret that Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker has struggled during his red-pinstripe tenure.
The 32-year-old right-hander is 3-5 on the season with a 6.26 earned run average. In between injury spells, Taijuan has only started 13 games in the 2024 season. His command has seemingly disappeared, his velocity has dipped, and it feels as though he is lost on the mound. He will get an opportunity to start Wednesday’s game against the Houston Astros, which may determine his status on the team.
Many fans are calling for the club to move on from Taijuan and completely cut bait. Others want him moved to the bullpen for the remainder of the season. Regardless of where you stand on his role with the organization, everyone would agree that his performance has been unbecoming of a World Series hopeful.
A Fall from Grace
In 2023, Taijaun Walker was a serviceable starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.
With a 15-6 record, he started in 31 ballgames for the club. He pitched a 4.38 earned run average and accumulated 172 and 2/3 innings across those starts. By no means was he pitching like a Cy Young contender, but Walker was able to fill a role for the Phillies. His 18 million dollar price caught him more grief than it would have under lesser circumstances, but overall he was solid for the Phils.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski had initially signed Taijuan to replace Zach Eflin in the Phillies starting rotation. Eflin had been a longtime starter for the club who unfortunately could not stay healthy. The idea with Walker was that he was going to make his starts and keep the Phillies in games.
Overall, that plan worked during the 2023 season.
Walker’s Struggles
For any pitcher, the most important aspect of their game is commanding the strikezone. Without command of your pitches, the rest won’t matter. Velocity can only carry some talents so far, and it is the ones who can position their pitches at an elite rate that stay successful in Major League Baseball.
So what happens when you lose both your command and your velocity? That is the situation that Taijuan Walker is facing in 2024. The veteran has not been able to find a groove from game to game or even inning to inning. In his last start, Taijuan Walker went 3 innings, allowing 8 hits, 6 ER, and 2 HR. He put the Phillies in an early deficit, and even a late surge by the offense proved to be too much.
Rob Thomson commented after his last start that he was impressed by Taijuan’s velocity in the outing. While it’s possible that he is regaining some speed in his arm, leaving pitches over the plate is still a major issue. According to baseball savant, Walker is currently well below average in every pitching metric, showcasing his velocity is below average across all of his pitches.
Holding out Hope
While it looks bleak for Taijuan Walker in a Phillies uniform, the time to move on from him does not need to be in 2024.
The chances of Taijuan turning things around this season are slim but not impossible. The 12-year-old veteran could toss six innings of two-run ball Wednesday, and it was not anything out of the ordinary. His struggles this season have tainted his image, but he is overall a quality big league pitcher.
If the Phillies choose to release Walker, they would owe him $36 million, which they could spread across the next two seasons. This is not as simple as moving on from Whit Merrifield, who was a free agent at the end of the year. Eating this amount of money is not a smart baseball decision.
The Plan
If you are Rob Thomson, you give Taijuan Walker the start on Wednesday to try and see if he can make any improvements.
Then, when the rosters expand to 28 players, the Phillies can call up another starter from Triple-A. That player can take Walker’s spot in the rotation while moving him to the bullpen. Taijuan can continue to work on regaining his touch, pitching in low-leverage situations. He will not be added to the 2024 playoff roster, and you can head into the off-season with a clean slate.
Entering Spring Training 2025, he will need to prove that the time off helped him return to the pitcher he once was. Spring Training can be an open audition, giving the Phillies another option if something were to happen unforeseen. If it works out, you have one more arm that can give you quality innings. If it doesn’t work out, then you can begin exploring alternative options.
Cutting him from the team now is a shortsighted move. You can see how the Whit Merrifield decision worked out for the Braves. Starting pitchers do not grow on trees, and in today’s game they are harder to come by. The Phillies have seen Taijuan Walker pitch well in their uniform. They will have to trust their staff and players to bounce back.
Wednesday could be a pivotal moment for Walker’s tenure in Philadelphia. It remains to be seen what happens next.
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
