Mariners pitcher Taijuan Walker beats Astros in MLB debut

It’s been a bit of a lost season for the Seattle Mariners, but they got to glimpse into their future on Friday, and the future is extremely bright.

Seattle’s top prospect, pitcher Taijuan Walker, made his MLB debut on Friday night against the Houston Astros, and he lived up to his considerable billing. Walker threw 5 innings, allowing only 1 unearned run on 2 hits and 1 walk, and in the process, keyed the Mariners to a 7-1 road win. The 21-year-old Walker looked incredibly poised in retiring the first 8 batters of the game, and at no point did the youngster seem overmatched.

Offensively, one of the Mariners’ former top prospects, Dustin Ackley, paced things with a 4-for-5 day. In the process, Ackley blasted a triple and drove in 4 runs, lending some credence to the thought that he may be a post-hype sleeper at this stage. However, not even that explosion could upstage the debut of the #5-rated prospect in baseball, and Walker was the story.

I’m sure that every fan of the Seattle Mariners was salivating on the heels of every pitch during Friday’s game, and with good reason. Walker’s profile indicates that he’s a front-line starter in the very near future, and with Felix Hernandez inked already, Seattle could use top-end talent to transform themselves into a title contender in short order. It’s just one start, but Taijuan Walker looks to be the real deal.