‘He looked comfortable:’ Phillies’ Taijuan Walker shows encouraging signs in his spring debut

DUNEDIN, Fla. — A year ago, Taijuan Walker could barely reach 90 miles per hour with his fastball.

In his first spring start of 2024, only three of his pitches eclipsed that marker — 90.2, 90.2, 90.3 — with the remainder of his fastballs landing in the high 80s.

Walker made just two appearances that spring and opened the season on the injured list. It set the tone for a disastrous season in which his ERA ballooned to 7.10 and he lost his spot in the Phillies’ starting rotation.

The right-hander’s 2025 spring debut was a very different story. In the first two innings of a 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday, Walker averaged 92.9 mph with his four-seam fastball and topped out at 93.9 mph. It’s an encouraging sign that Walker’s offseason program, which involved a lot of work with weighted balls to increase velocity, has started to pay off.

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Walker said he spent a lot of time lifting heavy weights this winter, and put on some muscle.

“My body just feels really good, a lot better,” said the 32-year-old. “Coming in, I was kind of banged up going into spring last year, so I didn’t have a real spring training. Coming in this year, just stronger. ... I had a really good offseason, started early. I feel like my normal self again.”

Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he called Walker during the offseason to check up on him. Cesar Ramos, the Phillies’ bullpen coach, visited him where he trains in Arizona.

“Cesar kept saying, ‘Yeah, he looks great.’ Since Cesar’s been around, it’s the best he’s looked,” Thomson said.

Walker faced a Blue Jays lineup similar to the one they are expected to roll out on opening day, including regulars Bo Bichette, Daulton Varsho, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander, George Springer, Andrés Giménez, and Alejandro Kirk.

“He looked comfortable, was attacking the zone,” shortstop Trea Turner said. “Looked like his old self. Not getting behind in counts. I just felt like he was making the pitches he wanted to make.”

Another encouraging sign: the two hits Walker allowed — a single by Bichette and a solo home run by Varsho — weren’t because of poorly located pitches.

Hitters averaged .380 against Walker’s splitter in 2024, mainly because Walker often left it up in the zone. But the splitter that Bichette sent to center field was low and away. The sweeper that Varsho managed to barrel up was down and inside.

“That’s a good pitch, too,” said catcher Rafael Marchán. “I mean, I said in the dugout, ‘That’s a spring homer, there’s nothing you can do.’”

Walker couldn’t trust his splitter for most of last year. His usage of the pitch dropped from 33.3% the season before — the most out of any pitch in his arsenal — to 21.9% in 2024. On Sunday, four of Walker’s six outs came via his split, including a swinging strikeout of Kirk.

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“I feel way more confident in all my pitches right now. With my splitter too, I feel like I can throw it for strikes and throw it down in the zone for swing-and-miss if I need to,” Walker said.

The Phillies still have a rotation that seems set, with five starting pitchers in line ahead of Walker after the acquisition of Jesús Luzardo. Before his brief stint in the bullpen last season, Walker had been a starter his entire career and he will continue to be built up this season like a starter.

“Who knows? Jobs are up for grabs, so the best guy’s going to get it,” Thomson said. “If somebody else doesn’t throw well, and he’s throwing great, who knows what’s going to happen? We got a ways to go here. And usually it works itself out.”