Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker was an obvious choice to be included on this list of Phillies players who let us down in 2024. Unlike Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott before him, there's nothing good about Walker's performance to carry over into next season. This year was a total disaster for Walker from start to finish. Perhaps that might be an understatement.
When the Phillies signed Walker to a $72 million, four-year free agent contract before the 2023 season, many assumed that the veteran pitcher would be a solid addition to a rotation that already featured Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Despite a 15-6 record last season, Thomson's faith in Walker waned by the postseason, and Walker was infamously not used at any point in last year's playoffs. When rosters were finalized for the NLDS a week ago, Walker was an easy choice to cross off the list.
Entering spring training, Walker dealt with injuries and a sharp drop in velocity that caused him to begin the 2024 season on the IL. Once activated in late April, Walker was dreadful in 10 starts before landing on the IL again in early June. With his velocity still down and his splitter not effective, the former one-time All-Star looked like a shell of his former self.
Walker's numbers in 15 starts (19 appearances) were the stuff of nightmares. Overall on the season, the 32-year-old right-hander produced a record of 3-7 with a 7.10 ERA in 89 2/3 innings, in addition to allowing 66 earned runs and getting blasted for 24 long balls. The rest of his numbers on the season are not much better. Stating the obvious, this is not what the Phillies were expecting when they signed Walker to a significant financial commitment.
When all was said and done, Walker produced the worst season by a Phillies pitcher in 30 years. The clues were obvious, but Thomson and the Phillies front office continued to send him out to the mound in what is likely the worst decision the Phillies franchise made all season. How the Phillies handle the two years remaining on Walker's contract is still a topic of considerable speculation.