While no single player is entirely to blame for the Philadelphia Phillies’ struggles this season Alec Bohm has really struggled, Jesús Luzardo has underperformed, and Trea Turner hasn’t matched last year’s production one of the biggest issues has been Taijuan Walker.
Walker is only filling a rotation spot until Zack Wheeler returns, but in the meantime, he has posted a disastrous 9.13 ERA.
And the numbers get even worse. As Jayson Stark of The Athletic pointed out, hitters facing Walker this season are performing like prime Joe DiMaggio during his legendary 56-game hitting streak.
“Opposing hitters vs. Taijuan Walker this season: .353/ .417/ .657/ 1.074. Joe DiMaggio the year he hit in 56 games in a row: .357/ .440 / .643 / 1.083,” Stark noted on Twitter/X.
Walker, who is in the final year of a four-year, $72 million deal with the Phillies, is making average hitters look like Hall of Famers in their prime.
If a 9.13 ERA wasn’t alarming enough, opponents have posted a 1.074 OPS against him just shy of DiMaggio’s 1.083 OPS during his best season.
Walker’s struggles have become a major problem for the Phillies, and it’s not an issue the team can afford to ignore.
The numbers are almost unbelievable. While it was clear Walker was having a tough year, seeing it put into this context highlights just how severe the situation is. Something has to change facing a DiMaggio-esque hitter every week isn’t a viable formula for a Phillies team already in trouble.
