Seattle Mariners News: Taijuan Walker to Triple-A Tacoma
By Todd Pheifer
Sep 4, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (27) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Seattle Mariners are going to be cautious with their prized prospect. Instead of joining the big club, Taijuan Walker will reportedly head to Triple-A Tacoma for now.
For now, the hype will have to wait.
If you think about it, this is hardly a shocking move by the Mariners. Walker is still only 21 and he is coming off of an injury that derailed his progress during spring training.
Meanwhile, the Mariners are doing fairly well with their rotation, despite the loss of James Paxton. With Hisashi Iwakuma coming back, the team can afford to mix and match for a time until Walker gets some innings on the farm.
Granted, this is a bit disappointing for fans that were excited to see what this guy can do. So much hype has surrounded Taijuan Walker, as baseball people have suggested that he may be an ace in the making.
In the meantime, the Mariners will promote Blake Beavan and hope that he can improve on his career 4.61 ERA. Don’t hold your breath.
It will be interesting to see how long Walker stays in Tacoma. Much will depend on the effectiveness of Iwakuma and Erasmo Ramirez, and whether James Paxton can return quickly from injury. If Walker wants to get back to Safeco Field, it wouldn’t hurt for him to dominate with the Triple-A team.
The Taijuan Walker era will begin at some point, but it will not be this week. For now, the youngster is heading to the Rainiers. Hopefully he will be back up in Seattle soon.