By Morris Phillips
SAN FRANCISCO–Ryan Walker embraces opportunity and upward mobility. But he’s not ascending with thoughts of adding an entourage, theme music, or a mood-setting game entrance.
Instead, Walker’s setting the tone with his sinker and the maintenance of his low-key demeanor. Yeah, he’s got a beard and a hint of swag, but no, he’s not Brian Wilson 2.0 or Sergio Romo.
He’s Ryan Walker, selected by the Giants in the now-defunct 31st round of 2018 draft, and he doesn’t pontificate. Actually, he mumbles a bit. And he’s the Giants’ new closer in place of the demoted Camilo Doval.
“I was really excited for the opportunity,” Walker said. “I never really thought this could happen.”
What’s happened is quite unlikely. Beyond Walker being drafted so late, four years passed before he got his big league promotion. And when he arrived in San Francisco, his ceiling was being a setup man, or so he thought.
But the Giants started to think differently when Walker’s sinker, slider combination showed refinement, and his strikeout numbers increased. The final step was harnessing his control and lowering his walk rate.
Then the unforseen happened when Camilo Doval struggled to the point he went from National League All-Star closer in 2023 to Pacific Coast League reclamation project. First, the fans built a groundswell of support for Walker–along with disdain for Doval’s shortcomings–and team president Farhan Zaidi and manager Bob Melvin shockingly followed suit.
“Could we have put (Doval) in a lesser role?” Melvin pondered. “I don’t know that it would help. I think that some of the issues that he needs to work on would be easier to do somewhere else than the big leagues. He’s an All-Star. We expect him to come back and be an All-Star.”
Melvin also stated Walker’s case beyond his effective sinker, slider combo that mirrors Saturday’s starter, Logan Webb.
He’s pretty good,” Melvin said prior to Saturday’s game. “Probably had our toughest role in that he would come in with guys on base all the time, and a lot of times go out for the next inning.”
Walker’s been described as a pitcher who sets the table with his sinker, which tops out at 97 mph, and confounds hitters with his slider at 84 mph. Called on to protect a 3-1 lead, the right-hander threw nine sliders and nine sinkers, and struck out Dillon Dingler and Javier Baez to end the game. Walker also ramped up the tension by allowing two of the first three hitters, Gio Urshela and Bligh Madris, to reach, giving the 28-year old a true first test as closer.
“Awesome. Nerve-racking,” he said.
Already this season, Walker has compiled a major-league leading 59 appearances, including eight in which he’s pitched more than an inning. Even more appealing, he has 73 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings work. His 2.20 ERA is half of what Doval built up, and he’s all business.
Could Walker take this once-in-a-baseball-life opportunity and run with it?
He could. Just don’t expect him to expound on his good fortune in a show of self-promotion.
Sports Radio Service 