Philadelphia Phillies fans might find it hard to be optimistic about Taijuan Walker's first start of 2026. It's no surprise; they've been burned by Walker before. But if you ask Rob Thomson, Walker's 4 2/3-inning performance that featured six earned runs actually involved the right-hander showing some good stuff out on the mound.
Rob Thomson says he thought Taijuan Walker had good stuff tonight @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/Fb4jNwvrDq
— Devan Kaney (@Devan_Kaney) March 31, 2026
"I thought Tai had good stuff. He was 94, he was throwing strikes, mixing his pitches. I'm not sure how many balls they hit hard, but it wasn't many," Thomson said after Walker's outing against the lowly Washington Nationals.
The 33-year-old had managed just two strikeouts in the game while walking three batters. It's not the first time that Thomson has seemed wildly optimistic about Walker, and it likely won't be the last. In the process, he sounds like the man who beat him out for the manager job in New York ahead of the 2018 season, Aaron Boone.
Rob Thomson's not entirely wrong about Taijuan Walker's first start, but he still seems wildly out of touch
Ask any New York Yankees fan about Boone, and they'll tell you that he fervently supports his players until the very end, even when it makes no sense. Last year, while Anthony Volpe was mired in a terrible slump and committing blunder after blunder in the field, Boone called him a "top shortstop," despite the former top prospect staying stagnant (and maybe even regressing) over his first three seasons in the majors.
Now, Thomson did have a valid point about Walker's showing. He may have given up 10 hits overall, but there was almost no hard contact to speak of. The average exit velocity Walker allowed was just 82.3 miles per hour. Unfortunately, these softly hit balls found holes, and Walker paid the price.
As for the good stuff part, well, that's not really true. Walker got just six whiffs on 99 pitches and saw his average fastball velocity sit at 91.5 miles per hour. 94 was the absolute max that the 33-year-old hit, and none of this changes the fact that his velo has been declining for years.
The reality of the situation is that Walker likely won't repeat his dreadful 2024 season in 2026, but even when he's at his best, he's still a borderline back-end starter who is going to need to pitch to contact and hope that balls don't find holes as they did on Monday. Is there value in that? Sure. Is it worth $18 million? Not a chance.
At the end of the day, we'd like for Thomson to speak the truth about his players. He doesn't need to bash a guy or gloss over the silver linings, but blind optimism doesn't do anyone any favors.