The Philadelphia Phillies have run into an unexpected problem in Spring Training. Their rotation was good to go, relying on Zach Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suárez to anchor the group. But the fifth spot has become a dilemma between Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker.
The solution appeared to be obvious when Luzardo was acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins last winter. Coming off one of the worst seasons by a Phillies’ starter in a century, Walker’s time in Philadelphia appeared to be numbered. But an offseason program has helped him make things interesting during camp.
While Luzardo could be optioned to begin the season, it would be a bad optic considering how much they gave up to acquire him. But Walker could have another path to the Opening Day roster in a new role suggested by a Philadelphia beat writer.
Taijuan Walker’s Resurgent Spring Could Lead Him to the Bullpen
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber dove into Walker’s situation and wondered if Walker’s newfound stuff would translate into a long relief role in the bullpen. The move would be risky, as Walker has made eight major-league appearances out of the bullpen in his 12-year career. But Phillies manager Rob Thomson seemed open to the idea as his team approaches the end of Spring Training.
“Whether he’s a starter or a reliever, I think it’ll be the same,” Thomson said. “He’s worked hard at it. I know he’s not thinking about the bullpen. He’s thinking about starting. That’s what his focus is, and that’s what his focus should be. We’ll see when we get there, but I think it should play. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t.”
Walker’s spring has been aided by a weighted ball program during the offseason designed to increase velocity. While he averaged just 91.2 mph on his fastball this season, it has touched 94 mph throughout spring training including his two-inning outing in Friday’s 6-5 loss to the New York Yankees.
The improvement comes as Walker enters the third year of a four-year, $72 million contract. But unless the Phillies suffer an injury in the final days of camp, Walker may have to fill a bullpen role or hope that a pitching-needy team acquires him in a trade before Opening Day.
Lauber listed the New York Yankees as one potential suitor after losing Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil to major injuries during Spring Training. But Walker is currently focused on finishing camp strong and letting the chips fall where they may.
“My main focus is still going out, building the innings, building the pitch count up, and whatever happens at the end happens,” Walker said. “We’ve got a lot of off-days the first two weeks, so they can shake some things up and see what happens. But my focus is just going out, doing what I’m doing, and still building on every start.”