Why SF Giants prospect Ryan Walker could make an MLB impact in 2023
The SF Giants drafted right-handed pitcher Ryan Walker in the 31st round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Washington State. Selected in a round of that draft that no longer exists, Walker has already outlasted most of his fellow late-round picks. Last season, Walker recorded a 3.74 ERA at Double and Triple-A with 65 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. Granted, he only made seven appearances at the highest level of the minors. Nevertheless, those late-season outings gave us some Statcast data.
The first thing that is striking when watching Walker pitch is his unique delivery. He has extreme crossfire action by starting on the first base side of the pitching rubber before stepping towards the third-base line and throwing across his body with a low three-quarters release. His delivery generates exceptional deception, particularly against right-handed batters who only hit .206 against him over the past two seasons. With the power of Statcast, Walker's release point can be quantified and compared.
With a release point that is around 3.35 feet towards the third base side of the rubber and a release height of around 5.25 feet, Walker's release point lies between Padres reliever Austin Adams and Brewers reliever Jake Cousins. What makes Walker unique is that he starts at the first base side of the rubber while both Adams and Cousins start at the third base side, giving him more deception by making himself more closed.
Walker also has stuff that packs a punch. He averaged 94.5 mph on his sinker with 16 inches of run and 26.9 inches of sink, all marks that were above big-league averages next season average. While sinkers are designed to generate soft-contact, Walker generated whiffs on 21% of swings against his sinker at Triple-A. For context, Camilo Doval's whiff rate on his sinker last season was also 21%.
The movement on Walker's slider is also above big-league averages. His pitch averaged 12.9 inches of vertical and 40.3 inches of horizontal movement, exceptional marks. Granted, it is a slower breaking ball (averaged 81.9 mph), which makes it play a bit worse than its movement numbers may suggest. Still, Walker's deception and ability to set the tone of an at-bat with his sinker give his slider the ability to be an above-average pitch.
The Giants did not protect Walker from the Rule 5 Draft this offseason, and he went unselected. Concerns about his command probably drove that process. Walker walked 24 batters in 45.1 innings pitched at Double-A and issued three walks in 7.1 innings at Triple-A. However, Walker has all the other traits to succeed at the big-league level. If the SF Giants need a reliever this season, Ryan Walker should be a prospect to watch.
