Ryan Walker, leading San Francisco’s bullpen in innings pitched, is also one of the best in the league when it comes to high-pressure situations. It’s easy to see why he earned Camilo Doval’s former position.
Why the Change?
Ryan Walker has pitched sixty-one innings out of the bullpen this season, only one inning less than starter Blake Snell. Walker has given up only forty-one hits and four home runs in 2024. Statistically, he is better than Camilo Doval by an extremely thin margin. Yet Giants executives, coaching staff, and fans will all tell you that he is much better. It’s easy to blame relievers and closers for blowing games since they often pitch in more stressful situations. That being said, optioning Doval to Triple-A is long overdue.
When he’s good, he’s amazing. Recently though, it seemed like he was incapable of throwing a strike and there were only so many chances the Giants could give him with such a tight race for the third National League Wild Card spot. Doval thrived when his back was against the wall and showed he could throw harder than anybody in the League. On the other hand, he really couldn’t keep it consistent and it felt like a gamble putting him on the mound in close games. Doval is young and has a ton of potential.
Hopefully, he can put the mental work in these last few months of the season and return to the big leagues in 2025 ready to go. He has also shown some attitude when called on to pitch in blowout games as if he didn’t want to be there. Melvin and the Giants are undoubtedly sending a message with this move that they don’t need him to be.
Versatility Necessary for a Playoff Chance
For now, we turn to Walker to be the official closer. It seems like a big move but comes as no surprise to anyone keeping up with the Giants this year. After the trade deadline, the team is being more decisive. We have needed some direction from them during the past couple of years of mediocre .500 baseball. And now that we have it, it seems obvious. These are easy decisions to make. Walker has been here all along, one of the most important pieces in the bullpen day in and day out. He has proved to be consistent, more often than not coming in with runners on base and cleaning up the mess. As well as his 2.20 earned run average and seventy-three strikeouts, Walker leads the bullpen in wins with seven so far.
Some would argue that even more important than impressive statistics is the confidence that the team has in him. He may not have a 104 mph fastball like Doval, but his stuff is great and he always has a game plan. In addition, Walker can pitch more than one inning in a game if necessary and has also been extremely versatile.
As his manager Bob Melvin said, “It’s about trying to keep Tyler [Rogers] and some of the other guys in their roles. We do have [Jordan] Hicks that we’ll probably use a little bit differently now that he’s in the bullpen, and just go with a really, really good arm in the closer role for now.” There are no guarantees in baseball, but Walker is expected to bring his dominance into the ninth just as he has every other inning. Coupled with the “best rotation in baseball,” this move should help San Francisco continue to win series, as they have since the trade deadline.
They may be more confident in their staff now than in the beginning of the season, and that’s saying a lot. Still, there’s no time like the present.
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