After taking down the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies are off to an 8-3 start to 2025 and are sitting at the top of the NL East standings. The dangerous Phillies offense is manager Rob Thompson’s biggest weapon but the starting rotation isn’t half bad either.
Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Jesus Luzardo are the starting pitchers that Phillies fans seem to trust the most. However, 2025 has been somewhat of a resurgence for an unlikely source that Philly fans were ready to part ways with a season ago.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the Discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Taijuan Walker off to great start for Phillies
Philadelphia sports fans are notorious for being some of the most passionate people in the world. No one could attest to this stronger than Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker.
Walker had a rough year in 2024 to say the least. The right-hander went 3-7 and posted a 7.10 ERA in 19 games (15 starts). On numerous occasions a year ago, his own fan base would express their emotions regarding his performance by letting out ‘boos’ at Citizens Bank Park. Needless to say, entering the 2025 season with Walker still in the rotation, Phillies fans were prepared to be let down every five games but so far they have been pleasantly surprised. Even manager Rob Thomson has noticed a difference.
“He’s always been upbeat but there is a little bit of a difference and that’s understandable to me,” Thomson said, per Yahoo Sports. “Last year was rough, I mean it was rough. I don’t really know how a person could go through something like that. That tells you a lot about him.
Walker has made two starts so far this season and has yet to give up an earned run. In 10.2 innings of work, Walker has allowed eight hits, walked four and struck out nine. Teams seem to be finding a way on base against Walker but he is finding ways to keep a goose egg in the most important box of the scorebook, the run column.
Taijuan Walker's turnaround helps Phillies in more ways than one
To put into perspective how much of a turnaround this performance level is for Walker, prior to his last two outings, he had not had an outing where he held a team scoreless since June of 2023. Walker has been a nice surprise for the Phillies this season. If he can contribute at this level, this team all of the sudden becomes good enough to run away with the NL East.
Walker's emergence also allows the Phillies to take their time with top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, and perhaps go to a six-man rotation when the 22-year-old is ready to face MLB competition. Rotation depth is as valuable as ever these days, and in a 162-game season, Walker will play his part for better or worse.