Mariners starter Taijuan Walker still pitching with intensity in summer camp
A bit of heckling from his teammates gave Seattle Mariners starter Taijuan Walker some extra motivation for Tuesday morning’s live batting practice session at T-Mobile Park.
A day earlier, Dee Gordon and Kyle Seager both said they wanted a piece of him.
“I had to go ahead and tell Skip to put them in there,” Walker joked during a video conference call with reporters following his workout. “But, it was good. I think the crap talking and the competitiveness is going to be good for us.”
For what it’s worth, Walker said Seager talks the most trash, and Gordon picks his spots, but when he does say something “it’s really good.”
Aside from the playful jabs from his teammates, Walker said it felt good to finally be on the mound again, nearly four months removed from making his only Cactus League start back in March.
He threw 22 pitches during the live BP session, facing Gordon and Seager twice apiece, and said his arm felt healthy.
“I like where I’m at,” he said. “Especially today, intensity-wise. I’m just coming off the mound feeling strong. … The velo was good. I think it was around 90-93 (mph). The first time on the mound facing hitters, I like where I’m at right now.”
Walker — the former Mariners first-round pick who was traded to Arizona in 2016, and then signed a one-year deal with Seattle in February — is back at full strength following season-ending Tommy John surgery in 2018 and subsequent shoulder issues in 2019.
The Mariners were cautious with his progression this spring, but when he did make it to the mound to face live hitters in March, the results were promising. He threw 43 pitches in three complete innings against the Brewers, shook off an early solo home run, didn’t walk a batter and struck out four.
He looked poised to open the season in Seattle’s starting rotation. Then Major League Baseball shut down spring training three days later, and the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation.
Even after the Mariners’ shut down their complex in Peoria, Walker remained in Arizona, where he lives in the offseason. It was tough to settle into a throwing program without a set return date, but he set up a gym in his garage, threw with a friend who lives down the street, and eventually threw bullpens at a nearby facility when Arizona reopened.
“I definitely stayed ready,” he said. “I was in the gym. Once we really found out (when baseball would be back), then I started ramping up a little bit more.”
Walker, now 27 years old and headed for free agency again after the season, said he felt he needed to pitch this year, instead of opting out as other established MLB players have.
“I think the biggest thing is just making those 10-11 starts for me,” he said. “Going out there and just staying healthy and trying to get as many innings as I can, really. I feel like my stuff is good, my stuff is there, so I think my biggest thing is just showing that I’m healthy and I can go out there and pitch every fifth day.”
Walker won’t be limited during summer camp, Mariners manager Scott Servais said earlier this week.
“Taijuan looks really good,” Servais said. “I was really encouraged with him when we shut down in Arizona. I would say he’s picked up the same intensity level, right where he was when we shut down. So, he will not be held back at all or taking it slow.”
Walker noted the importance of pacing, though, while trying to ramp up to the season during this brief summer camp period.
“The season is usually a marathon to get ready and keep going, but it’s almost like a sprint now,” he said. “We have three weeks to get ready. We have to ramp up. Obviously we’re going to do that, but we have to do it smart. We still have to listen to our bodies.”
And follow the league’s new health and safety protocols to ensure the season starts at all, he said.
“If we want to play baseball, this is what we have to do,” Walker said. “ … My situation is kind of different. I’ve pitched one inning in the last two-and-a-half years. So, I’m going to do everything I can so we can play baseball. I’m going to do my part.”
