I wrote an article last week about the importance at this stage of the season of looking on the waiver wire for rookies that have recently made their debuts. There is always a possibility of these call-ups putting up big numbers right away due major leaguers’ unfamiliarity with them. One such recently debuted prospect to watch this week is pitcher Taijuan Walker of the Seattle Mariners.
Walker, recently of the Pacific Coast League, is not just any pitching prospect; he’s the pitching prospect. Baseball America’s midseason prospect rankings put the Louisiana native seventh overall and made him the no. 1 hurler on the list.
The right-hander was Seattle’s first round pick in 2010 and has dominated at every level of the minor leagues since being drafted. He’s split 2013 between Double-A and Triple-A and posted a combined 2.90 ERA and 1.23 WHIP before his call-up on August 30.
Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider that Walker pitched 54 innings this season in the PCL, a league that is notoriously hitter-friendly, and he still managed to post a solid 3.61 ERA and an impressive 10.05 K/9 rate.
It is this latter stat that truly shows how electric the young hurler’s stuff has been. His average fastball velocity is 93.8 mph and he can hit 97 on the radar when he reaches back. He pairs the fastball with a good curve and change, giving him three pitches he can throw for strikes.
Not only does Walker miss bats often but he also commands all of his pitches fairly well. His K/BB rate has hovered around 3.00 in the minors, which is more than major-league quality. He showed that command in his recent major league debut when he only walked one hitter in five innings.
The 21-year old showed enough in that debut to spark excitement among Mariners fans. Walker gave up just two hits and one unearned run in five innings against the Astros in his first big league start (yes, it was against Houston, but that’s still a solid line).
Walker is only owned in 17.8 percent of ESPN leagues right now, so he is probably available in yours. Given his overall upside and the lack of a big league “book” on him right now, he can be expected to put up some solid numbers in the coming weeks. As far as keeper leagues go, keep an eye on him for next year, as the Mariners will be expecting him to form a solid 1-2 punch with Felix Hernandez. He should be a fantasy stud for years to come.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports.
Photo Credit: Getty
