Did the Phillies do Taijuan Walker dirty, or does he just need thicker skin?
Taijuan Walker appears to be upset with the Phillies for not pitching him in the playoffs. Maybe he should have pitched better.
After three rounds of postseason play, the Philadelphia Phillies headed home earlier than expected. One player in particular is extra salty about the early exit and, more specifically, his role or lack thereof in the playoff run.
Starting pitcher Taijuan Walker didn't get a sniff of the postseason action despite being included on all three of the Phillies' playoff rosters.
So, the question is: did the Phillies do Walker a grave injustice by keeping him from the field, or does the pitcher just need thicker skin?
By now, it's no secret that Walker was not impressed with his unexpected relaxing postseason experience. Dropping a cryptic post that reads "Disrespect is at an all time high" on social media platform X following the team's elimination and then liking other posts critical of manager Rob Thomson is sure to catch the attention of, well, just about everybody in the Phillies' orbit.
Disrespect is at an all time high #nextyear
— Taijuan Walker (@tai_walker) October 25, 2023
In their end-of-year press conference on Thursday, both Thomson and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski gave Walker a pass for his social media "outburst."
"I haven't (spoken to him). I'll call him at some point," Thomson said. "People get emotional. He's a competitive guy.
"I love Taijuan, I really do. This guy gave us 15 wins. Every time he goes out to the mound, he competes until we take him out and then he never wants to come out. I want a guy like that. That type of thing doesn't bother me. I love him, I love his demeanor, I love his toughness. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Dombrowski echoed those sentiments: "I never get upset when a guy would like to pitch, that's good."
Why didn't Taijuan Walker get a postseason start?
In his first season in Philadelphia, Walker posted a 15-6 record, finishing with a close-to-league average ERA of 4.38, but obviously didn't do enough to secure a postseason starting role. With the three-headed monster of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez pitching as well as they did, there weren't any openings in the top three rotation spots.
Walker's end to the season may have contributed to the distrust from Dombrowski, Thomson and the coaching staff. In September, the 31-year-old pitched to a 5.93 ERA, and that came after a rough start to his season, when he had a 5.57 ERA through the first two months.
The only reason his final stats are palatable is his phenomenal 1.50 ERA in June and a 3.86 ERA in July. By the end of the season, Walker just wasn't doing enough to crack the rotation, which Dombrowski confirmed, saying, "He had a struggle for a while there near the end ... "
It bears out in the numbers. Even though his batting average, on-base and slugging percentage against remained relatively stable, the results and underlying metrics in September were much uglier.
Stat | Mar-Aug. | Sept. |
|---|---|---|
ERA | 4.05 | 5.93 |
xFIP | 4.59 | 5.94 |
K% | 19.8% | 14.3% |
K-BB% | 10.0% | 5.3% |
LOB% | 74.8% | 56.7% |
Hard hit% | 30.7% | 40.4% |
You can even argue he got a little lucky in the final month of the season, despite the worrying changes — his BABIP dropped to .260, down from his rest-of-season mark of .275.
NEXT: How Walker whiffed on his chance to earn a start in the NLCS
Walker whiffed on his chance to earn a start in the NLCS
The Phillies included the right-hander on each postseason roster but considered him a "bulk reliever" from the get-go, per MLB Network's Jon Morosi. When it looked like there was a chance for a fourth-starter in the NLCS, Walker and Cristopher Sánchez got looks in short simulated games.
After a month off from pitching, Walker didn't look sharp, according to Dombrowski, so he ended up back in the bullpen gathering dust while Sánchez took the ball for Game 4.
"It was just one of those days where we threw them out there," Dombrowski said. "They threw a couple of innings, Sánchez and he, and he was having a hard time that day throwing strikes."
Dombrowski also pointed out that as a starter, the 11-year veteran would have had a more challenging time getting ready to come into a game than the full-time relievers the Phillies had on hand.
"He's in a tough spot, it's different in the postseason, he's not a reliever, he takes a long time to warm up," Dombrowski explained. "But you need someone who can give you length if you run into extra innings. It's a tough position to be in, somebody's got to do it."
Between Walker's end-of-season struggles, the incredible performance of the other three starters and his rustiness, the Phillies' decision not to turn to him to start Game 4 against the Diamondbacks makes complete sense.
Athletes at the highest level are wired differently than the average person; they're ultra-competitive, want to compete and show what they can do in pressure-packed situations under which mere mortals would crumble.
Walker is entitled to his feelings — being the lone Phillie not to see the field puts him in a tough position for a professional athlete. Watching from the background as everyone else gets the call might be akin to being picked last for dodgeball teams in Grade 5 gym class.
But perhaps he didn't express those feelings in the most constructive or mature way, especially for someone who'll be in Philadelphia for another three years. He's expected to be a big part of the Phillies' rotation next season, which Dombrowski reiterated on Thursday.
"I like Taijuan Walker, I think he did a nice job," he said. "I look for him to be a real solid part of our rotation. I look for him to pitch well for us next year."
Some fences may have to be mended, but the Phillies don't seem concerned — maybe Walker shouldn't be either. Hopefully, he uses this experience as motivation to ensure they never leave him out of the postseason mix again.
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