Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The Mets made their signing of starting pitcher Taijuan Walker official on Sunday, and on Tuesday morning the right-hander met with the media for the first time.
Some of the bigger questions Walker received during the presser asked about what he is most looking forward to about pitching in New York, his time spent at Driveline Baseball last offseason, as well as his preparation this offseason.
Walker said that he is really excited to be a part of the New York Mets organization, and that even before discussions officially started the Mets were one of the top teams he wanted to be a part of. Among a few other reasons, Walker mentioned all the offseason moves the Mets made and the excitement around this team playing part in his decision.
“Everyone’s just excited to win. Knowing that we have a good team here, just the energy that I’ve been feeling the past few days is great. That’s what really attracted me early on, just the big moves they were making and showing the fan base that they are ready to win now,” Walker said.
Walker also mentioned the fact that the Mets have been using technology to help their pitchers as a big factor in his decision. Walker said that learning about the technology and figuring out ways to put it into his own game at Driveline definitely helped him with his pitches.
“It’s definitely a huge things for me. I saw the success last year when I really started digging into it, so just moving forward I’m always trying to get better, and having that right at my finger tips is good,” Walker said.
The right-hander added that he has met both Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman in the past, but he is familiar with everyone on the staff because he “watches a lot of baseball.”
Walker is known for his velocity and arm-side run on his fastball, along with his cutter that he has in his repertoire. One thing Walker has been working on is throwing his four-seam fastball more up in the zone, stating he has more success up in the zone with his fastball and down in the zone with his slider.
The righty is slated to throw his first bullpen session with the team tomorrow.
Walker stated that he liked where he was last year coming off of Tommy John surgery, and that is was a big step for him, but he thinks this year will be a lot better.
