Phillies’ Rob Thomson says Taijuan Walker’s likes of critical tweets don’t bother him: ‘He’s a competitive guy’

Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker made his displeasure known on social media early Wednesday morning after his team lost Game 7 of the National League Championship Series to the Diamondbacks. At 2 a.m., Walker tweeted “Disrespect is at an all time high #nextyear.” He also liked a few tweets that criticized manager Rob Thomson. One said “The disrespect is from your manager. He had no faith in you, which was a joke and his game decision cost the Phillies this series. Remember that!”

He also liked a tweet that said “To me, you not pitching in the postseason was the true disrespect. Thank you for supporting your teammates.”

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Thomson and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski addressed Walker’s social media activity on Thursday in an end-of-season press conference.

“It happens when guys don’t pitch or don’t play at a particular time,” said Dombrowski, who signed Walker as a free agent last offseason to a four-year, $72 million contract. “I don’t mind that they get upset.”

Thomson said he hadn’t talked to Walker yet, but plans to call him soon. When asked if their relationship is fractured, Thomson said “not at all.”

“Not one bit,” Thomson said. “People get emotional. He’s a competitive guy. I love Taijuan. I really do. This guy gave us 15 wins. Every time he goes out to the mound, he competes until we take him out, and then he never wants to come out. And I want a guy like that.

“So that type of thing doesn’t bother me. I’ll call him at some point. But I love him. I love his demeanor. I love his toughness. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

Walker was the only player on all of the Phillies’ postseason rosters not to play. He struggled to maintain his normal velocity at times this season, and his walk rate rose from 6.9% in 2022 to 9.7% in 2023. His strikeout rate also dropped, from 20.3% in 2022 to 18.8% in 2023, the second-lowest figure of his career.

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Most of Walker’s problems came in the first inning of his starts. He had a 7.04 ERA in the first inning in 2023. It was not a problem Walker struggled with in previous seasons, and it may have been related to his velocity issues. In the second half of the season, Walker’s velocity would dip early and rise as his outings continued.

Regardless of the reasons, Walker’s first-inning struggles made it difficult to start him in a playoff game, where momentum can swing quickly and drastically. He posted a 4.38 ERA in 31 starts with a record of 15-6 this season.