Newfound Velocity From Maligned Phillies Starter Could Keep Him on Roster

After increasing his velocity this offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies maligned starter could have a spot on this roster.

Mar 2, 2025; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning during spring training at TD Ballpark / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies knew they couldn't have Taijuan Walker in the fifth spot of their rotation to begin the 2025 campaign.

After the season he had last year, even the optimism manager Rob Thomson continued to have about the veteran starter had to have wavered, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski decided to acquire Jesus Luzardo to fill that hole.

This created questions about how Walker would be used during the upcoming campaign.

With $36 million still owed to him the next two seasons, it was almost guaranteed that he would have a spot on the roster. But if he had major issues during the spring that looked similar to what happened last year, then there's a chance he could have been designated for assignment to open up another spot for a different pitcher who could make an impact.

The Phillies and Walker focused on getting his velocity back this winter, something they believe will allow his pitch arsenal to be more effective.

Walker had a chance to showcase if there was improvement in his first spring game of the season on Sunday, and it's safe to say the throwing program he went through helped increase his speed.

Taijuan Walker's line in Dunedin: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR.

His four-seamer averaged 92.9 mph. It averaged 89.4 mph in his first spring start last year. He also touched 93.9 mph. He hit that only once all last year.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) March 2, 2025

The run for Walker came from a homer on a slider that was down in the zone.

While giving up long balls was something that was a major concern for the veteran throughout the 2024 campaign, this is still spring training, so pitchers are just trying to ramp up to the start of the year which is exactly what the veteran was doing in this outing, too.

The velocity is the storyline here, not the stat line.

Thomson traveled to be with the split squad that Walker was pitching for on Sunday, giving himself a chance to see how the maligned starter looked in his start in person.

And with Walker's fastball and sinker both consistently sitting in the low-90 mph range, there is a good chance he will be given that final spot on the relief staff with a real role coming out of the bullpen.

He still has to prove he can consistently throw this hard throughout the spring without getting injured or seeing his production dip, but since Philadelphia is likely stuck with him based on the amount of money he's owed, having him ready to perform is the best-case scenario.

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