Mar 14, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch against the New York Yankees in the first inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
TAMPA - It was a long day for the Phillies and manager Rob Thomson.
Most Spring Training days start before the sun comes up for Thomson and his staff, and players start to fill in even before the rooster crows.
But Friday was another level. There was Andrew Painter pitching to live hitters in the morning. Then the Spring Breakout game at Bay Care Ballpark with the Phillies top prospects hosting the Pirates top prospects in Clearwater followed in the afternoon.
After some early work and on-field instruction, Thomson and bench coach Mike Calitri took in the prospect game from a unique perspective - the press box.
They both left after six innings, and hopped in the car and drove through some traffic congestion to make the 40-minute commute to Steinbrenner Field for a 6:35 pm game against the New York Yankees.
By the end of the night, a game which the Phillies lost 6-5, blowing a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Thomson was bedraggled. Roughly 16 straight hours of baseball activities can do that to you.
But there was one thing Thomson immediately perked up to talk about - Taijuan Walker.
It's still only Spring Training, and it's not clear if the success Walker is finding in March will translate to April and beyond, but he'd be one hell of a comeback story if it did - and Thomson is rooting for him.
"His fast ball command was good and he was around the zone the whole time," Thomson said after Walker's latest start - a four-inning stint against most of the New York Yankees regular lineup. "He got up to 94 (MPH). He missed with a couple cutters... but then the splitter was missing down early but he got it and got a lot of soft contact with it, so I was pleased with it."
Walker threw 57 pitches, 34 for strikes. He allowed four hits and two runs. He walked one and struck out one.
Outside of this cutter right down the middle to Ben Rice, Taijuan Walker had a solid game against the Yankees.
4.0 IP | 4 H | 2 ER | 1 BB | 1 K
pic.twitter.com/Bi776uzgQ6
For the Spring, Walker has made three starts and has a a 3.86 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He's not striking out a lot of guys, but he's also not walking guys either, which was another Achilles' heel during a season to forget in 2024.
In fact, the walks were the first thing Walker mentioned when he was asked about his performance.
"It was good. I had the one walk today and I'm really trying not to walk anyone this Spring," Walker said.
But more importantly, throwing a fastball in the mid-90s changes the dynamic between his fastball and his splitter, making it harder for hitters to not be way out in front on the splitter when they expect more velocity on a fastball.
"You saw it today," Walker said. "I was getting ground balls with [the splitter]. I thought the action was good with the splitter."
Taijuan Walker gets Volpe to ground out to the end inning #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/BXlGicVell
Walker feels he can get that fastball up another1-2 MPH as well.
"I've never been a guy to really throw my hardest in Spring Training, even at my healthiest," Walker said. "But I know when the lights come on in the regular season, that's when it jumps up another one or two (MPH)."
Garrett Stubbs backed up that opinion.
"His velo is up a little bit and I expect it to keep going up, the more reps he gets and when the games get a little bigger - so the differential (between the pitches) right now is great."
As for those reps - will they be as a starter or as a long reliever?
It seems like a crazy question, since the Phillies seem to have their five-man rotation locked in place with 10 days to go before camp breaks and the season begins, but Thomson isn't ready to lock Walker in to a bullpen role just yet.
"He's worked hard at it and I know that he's not thinking bullpen," Thomson said. "He's thinking about starting and that's what his focus is and that's what his focus should be. So, you know, we'll see when we get there."
Maybe it was the delirium from a long day talking at the end of the night. Or maybe the Phillies just want to keep their options open. They won't really need a No. 5 starter until April 6th - the ninth game of the season, so they can have a larger bullpen for most of the first three series' of the season.
And how Walker will be deployed will be a drama that has yet to unfurl itself on the stage.
