Taijuan Walker just had the worst Phillies pitching season in 30 years
There hasn’t been a worse pitcher to put on a Phillies uniform over the last 30 years than Taijuan Walker, and the numbers back it up.
As if the Taijuan Walker hate club needed more ammo, the struggling right-hander just put together the worst pitching season for the Philadelphia Phillies over the last 30 years. The 32-year-old is 3-7 with a 7.10 ERA in 19 appearances between being a starter and coming out of the bullpen.
The Phillies have given Walker chance after chance all season long. It’s no secret that the veteran has been nothing short of a disappointment. To make things worse for Phillies fans, Walker still has two years left on a four-year, $72 million contract.
Taijuan Walker just had the worst Phillies pitching season in 30 years
According to FanGraphs, Walker has the worst WAR at -1.1 among any pitcher who has pitched at least 80 innings for the Phillies since 1994. Countless pitchers have taken the mound for the Phillies in that time, which shows just how bad Walker has been.
Walker has also posted the worst ERA and HR/9 over the last 30 years for the Phillies. He’s No. 20 for the worst BB/9 ratio. He was so bad that he lost his spot in the starting rotation and had to be moved to the bullpen.
The Phillies thought they had something in Walker when they signed him as a free agent before the 2023 season. He was an All-Star for the New York Mets in 2021, and he went 12-5 with a 3.49 ERA in 29 starts the following year.
To his credit, Walker did win 15 games for the Phillies in 2023 out of his 31 starts. His overall numbers weren’t the worst as he posted a 4.38 ERA with 138 strikeouts and a .238 batting average against in 172 2/3 innings pitched. Fans were disgruntled because his production didn’t match the $18 million he makes annually with the Phillies. Walker also didn’t make a single appearance during the postseason run last year.
The Walker experiment failed in Philadelphia. The front office has a tough decision to make regarding his future with the organization. One thing’s for certain, the fans want Walker out of their city.
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