You can throw a ton of blame around the clubhouse for the Phillies’ collapse in the NLCS. Virtually every player that had an opportunity over the final four losses could have performed better than they did.
Taijuan Walker never got an opportunity.
Walker, the team leader in wins in the regular season in wins with 15, was relegated to a role that positioned him not in the rotation, not in the bullpen, but on the top step of the dugout for the entirety of the team’s 13 postseason games. He was the only player on the team’s NLCS roster that did not play one pitch.
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After the team’s Game 7 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks in their home park, Walker took to X (formerly Twitter) and fired off this cryptic missive:
While it doesn’t reference any slight in particular, it feels like a post from a player who is severely ticked off at his lack of a role this postseason. Walker didn’t have a great finish to the regular season – a 5.93 ERA in five September starts – but you can argue that his body of work earned him a courtesy appearance. There were a few opportunities where the Phillies were up big to get him an inning, and Rob Thomson chose not to do so.
The manager found a spot to get every other player on the roster playing time except one, and he wasn’t happy about it.
Philadelphia Phillies
More evidence that the post was in reference to his lack of innings can be found with a quick look at posts Walker liked in response to his initial post:
This is an interesting development to observe into next season. Walker has three years and $54 million remaining on his contract with the Phillies.