For the first time in spring training, Taijuan Walker took the mound eager to prove that his abysmal 2024 campaign was just a fluke. An argument can be made that he was mostly successful in his quest.
The right-hander got through two innings, flashed a major velocity increase, and limited the Toronto Blue Jays to just one run. To make matters better, the run Walker allowed was a home run hit off the bat of Daulton Varsho on a pitch that wasn't even a strike. Sure, you never want to give up a home run, but how many times will a player hit the pitch that Varsho did out of the yard?
Taijuan Walker sat 93-94 in his first inning of the spring, which is a very good sign. The solo homer from Varsho was one you tip your cap to. pic.twitter.com/vDrOR0bDdQ
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) March 2, 2025
Given that his outing was a success, the Philadelphia Phillies will almost certainly be more inclined to trick themselves into handing Walker an Opening Day roster spot. That, for obvious reasons, should not happen.
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Phillies can't let Taijuan Walker's spring training debut trick them into putting him on their Opening Day roster
A deeper dive into Walker's outing would suggest that while there were some obviously promising signs from Walker, he still has work to do. He still allowed a home run, even if it was unlucky, and three of the five other batted balls he allowed were hit at 99.5 mph or above. He only allowed one run on two hits, but gave up plenty of hard contact.
He threw harder, but did we really see anything noticeably different results-wise from Walker? Sure, spring training results don't mean much, but this was an opportunity for him to face a lineup full of Blue Jays regulars. For the most part, the Jays were getting the best of him.
Walker lost any chance he had at an Opening Day rotation spot when the Phillies acquired Jesus Luzardo, but still figured to have a great shot at earning a bullpen spot. A performance like this, with Walker displaying added velocity, will seemingly boost his odds of securing an Opening Day roster spot when, in reality, the Phillies would be better off without him.
Walker had a 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances and 15 starts in 2024. He struggled to the point where he was left off of Philadelphia's postseason roster. His added velocity on Sunday was nice to see, but even with that, he gave up a ton of hard contact. The home run was unlucky, but that isn't a good enough excuse to give him credit when he was as unusable as he was last season and surrendered as much hard contact as he did on Sunday. The Phillies are better off without him, but will trick themselves into rostering him.