Phillies finally found the ideal playoff role for Taijuan Walker

On Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies went out of the NLDS with a whimper in a 4-1 loss that brought their postseason hopes to a sudden end.

With the all-hands-on-deck approach manager Rob Thomson's chosen direction for Game 4, the players who constituted the team's 26-man playoff roster had the chance to play hero and help the Phillies return the series back to Citizens Bank Park for a crucial Game 5 showdown. That's not exactly what transpired after Jeff Hoffman and collection of Phillies bullpen arms wasted a strong 4 1/3 inning start from Suárez.

Would the Phillies' fortunes have been better if they had another starting pitcher to hand the ball over to in this series? With much-maligned starter Taijuan Walker left off the NLDS roster, the opportunity for Thomson to get bulk innings in case of such an emergency was nearly non-existent. It was a circumstance that ultimately left the Phillies with few other options during the series.

Phillies finally found the ideal playoff role for Taijuan Walker

Taijuan Walker had easily the worst season of his 12-year MLB career in 2024. Just take a look at his career stats from his previous 11 seasons, and there's little room for debate. Injuries and inefficient performance followed the right-handed pitcher from spring training and carried on well into the regular season. When final roster decisions for the NLDS were finalized, Walker was an obvious choice to sit in favor of more reliable arms that were available at Thomson's disposal.

Walker's dreadful performance during the regular season is certainly worthy of the criticism directed his way, but through all of the trials and tribulations facing the 32-year-old former All-Star, his attitude and team-first mindset did not waver after the roster slight. According to Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Walker accepted Thomson's decision (subscription required) not to carry him on the NLDS roster.

"I don't feel like I've earned a spot in the rotation, or to pitch [out of the bullpen]," said Walker per Coffey. "Would I like to pitch? Obviously. Everyone wants to pitch in the postseason. But I know I didn't have a great year. I had a really, really bad year."

Walker's self-awareness and positivity are a good look for the beleaguered Phillies pitcher. It stands in stark contrast to his reaction to not being used in the 2023 postseason when he was included on the playoff roster and left to watch his teammates lose in the NLCS to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A year later, Walker accepted his situation, and instead of taking to social media to air his grievances like he did last October, Walker said all the right things and continued to root for his teammates while occupying a spot on the bench right up until the bitter end.

His teammates, from Brandon Marsh to Nick Castellanos, appreciated the effort as a dugout cheerleader.

"He's a gangster for doing that. He's a gangster. I love it," Marsh said, per Coffey.

"He's in it to win it, regardless of how his performance is, or how his year has gone, or whatever," Castellanos told Coffey. "He's always selfless with his time. He's always going out of his way to have relationships with all of the guys, to pick them up, to say something here or there if need be. He's an asset."

The question is, what will Walker's role be next year when the team rolls up for spring training in Florida?

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