2015 was an up-and-down campaign for the Shreveport, LA native. He entered the season as a 22-year-old competing for a rotation spot in the major leagues. After a highly successful Spring Training, Walker broke camp with the big league club.
To say that the start of his season was in any way positive would be an absolute lie. Walker would make his season debut on April 10, a road tilt against division rival, the Oakland Athletics. With just one out in the fourth inning, then Manager, Lloyd McClendon had seen enough to yank Taijuan from the game. He registered 10 outs, while surrendering nine runs on nine hits.
Five days later, his second start would be more of the same, awful results. Traveling for another road game, this time to compete in Los Angeles against the hometown Dodgers, Walker would make it through just four complete innings. He was lifted for pinch hitter Justin Ruggiano in the fifth inning after allowing the Dodgers hitters to score five runs on six hits and four walks.
The fact that the Mariners were willing to stick with the young hurler says volumes about his ability to get the ship turned around and realize his potential. There was magic in that right arm, he just needed to find it.
Nine starts. That is how long the rocky and, at times, highly unsuccessful beginnings of 2015 went for Walker. His numbers after those nine outings were about as ugly as they come. Averaging less than five innings per start, and his ERA sitting at a revolting 7.33, many players could have threw in the towel and gave up right then, but he did not.
On May 29, a Friday night home game versus the Cleveland Indians marked a turnaround that would be as impressive as could have ever been expected considering the outcomes up to that point. That night Walker would get through eight innings allowing just two hits and no walks, striking out eight. A night and day difference that would get everyone’s hopes up. We had already made it through the first two months of struggles, so why not see if this start could parlay a run of success.
It did. Over the course of the next seven starts, running through July 1, Walker went 6-1 with a 1.68 ERA in 48.1 innings. He also put together an astounding stat of 51 strikeouts to just 3 walks in that span.
While there would be another mediocre period following the run, Walker finished out the season on a strong note. His last nine starts of the season produced a 3.63 ERA and built momentum for him to stay focused and hungry in the off-season.
2016 will be a telling year for Taijuan. He enters at age 23, ready to improve on his first full season in the bigs. Coupled with the return of Hisashi Iwakuma, they should be able to join Felix Hernandez to form a very impressive trio headlining a rotation including newcomer Wade Miley and either James Paxton, or Nate Karns, who was traded from Tampa Bay during the winter.
Look for a more consistent start to this year, rather than the nightmare that was April and May last season. If he can put together a solid six months, we should be looking at a respectable number two starter with an outside chance he gets rolling and could make an all-star team, or possibly even enter the Cy Young conversation if he’s got his best stuff working for most of his 30 starts.
I LIVE FOR BASEBALL BLOG 