This article will answer every question you have about Taijuan Walker. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does Taijuan Walker do for a living?
- Who are Taijuan Walker’s parents and siblings?
- What are Taijuan Walker’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Taijuan Walker married or does he have a girlfriend/ boyfriend?
- Does Taijuan Walker have any children?
- Where is Taijuan Walker now?
- How tall is Taijuan Walker?
- How much money does Taijuan Walker earn?
- What is Taijuan Walker’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Taijuan Walker?
Taijuan Emmanuel Walker is a famous American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Walker played for the Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Taijuan Walker Career
Amateur career
Taijuan’s initial love was basketball until he started playing baseball at the age of 11. He attended Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, California, where he was a pitcher and shortstop, as well as a two-sport athlete. At Yucaipa, he was teammates with Matt Davidson, a third baseman in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Yucaipa is also the alma mater of former major leaguers Corky Miller and Mark Teahen.
Professional career
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners picked Walker in the right round, with the 43rd overall pick, of the 2010 MLB draft. He and the Mariners agreed to a deal that consisted of an $800,000 signing bonus. Walker made four appearances for the Rookie League AZL Mariners, all in relief, and went 1-1 with a 1.29 earned run average (ERA). He was listed as one of the Mariners’ top 10 prospects for the 2011 season, ranked 4th according to Baseball America. Before the 2012 season, he was ranked the 2nd best prospect in the Mariners organization and the 20th best overall. He was picked to play in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game.
After he pitched to a 5-3 win-loss record and a 3.61 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings pitched for the Tacoma Rainiers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, the Mariners promoted Walker on August 30, 2013. He pitched 5 innings against the Houston Astros, and yielded just 2 hits, and struck out 2. Walker was called up when rosters expanded in September 2013. He began 3 games completing the season with a 3.60 ERA in 15 innings. Walker then pitched his first MLB complete game, on September 24, 2014, allowing one run in a 1-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
2015-2016
Walker started the 2015 season as a member of the Mariners’ starting rotation. In his first start, at Oakland, he gave up 9 runs in 3 1/3 innings. Walker followed that outing by giving up 5 runs in 4 innings against the Dodgers, causing some to ask whether or not he was ready for the big leagues. He went on to struggle, pitching more than 6 innings only once through his first nine starts. However, he won 5 straight starts in June and July, improving his record from 2-6 to 7-6. He struggled following winning five straight, going 0-1 with an 8.02 ERA, but on July 31, Walker threw a complete game one-hitter against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. This time, Walker’s offense backed him up, as he won 6-1, striking out 11 only needing 100 pitches to do so. In total, he completed the 2015 season with an 11-8 record despite posting a 4.56 ERA in 29 starts.
Throughout the first half of the 2016 season, he battled with a foot injury. Walker was then placed on the 15-day disabled list on two occasions. He started the second half of the season on the disabled list. Prior to the all-star break, he had a 4-7 record despite a 3.66 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 86 innings. On August 8, 2016, he was optioned to AAA. He then pitched his first career complete-game shutout in an 8-0 Mariners’ victory against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on September 13, 2016. Walker carried a perfect game into the sixth inning and a no-hitter into the seventh, completing the game allowing no walks and 3 hits while striking out 11 batters.
How old is Taijuan Walker?
Taijuan Emmanuel Walker is aged 30 as of 2022, having been born on August 13, 1992, in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. He shares his birthday with famous people including William Caxton, Annie Oakley, Sebastian Stan, DeMarcus Cousins, Koffi Olomide, Lucas Moura, Janet Yellen, Alan Shearer, Lisa Nilsson, Adam Housley, Phil Taylor, and Demetrious Johnson, among others.
Taijuan Walker Family
Who are Taijuan Walker’s parents?
Taijuan Emmanuel Walker was born to Nellie Garcia and her spouse in Shreveport, Louisiana. His mother was a single mother and his father is not known. Walker assisted his mother take care of his younger siblings,
Does Taijuan Walker have siblings?
It is mentioned that Walker assisted his mother take care of his younger siblings, but it is not mentioned how many they are or who they are. However, some sources say that he has three siblings, two brothers De’shuan and Shamon, and a sister, Noemi.
Taijuan Walker Education
Walker attended Yucaipa High School in Yucaipa, California, where he played baseball as a pitcher and shortstop, and also a two-sport athlete.
Taijuan Walker Interests
Walker was a sports lover and loved basketball before starting to play baseball at the age of 11.
Taijuan Walker Spouse
Walker is currently married to his beautiful and loving soulmate and wife Heather Restrepo in 2016. The couple is happily married with two children in their marriage and resides in their home in Paradise Valley.
Taijuan Walker Kids
Walker and his sweetheart, Restrepo have two children together. Their firstborn, son Zayden Walker was born in July 2017, and their second son, Zoren Walker was born in early November 2020.
Taijuan Walker Height
Walker has a well-built, muscular and athletic body adding up to an impressive height of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and a weight of 106 kg (235 lbs).
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Mariners exchanged him and Ketel Marte for Mitch Haniger, Jean Segura, and Zac Curtis to the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 23, 2016. In 2017, Walker’s first season in Arizona, he made 28 starts, pitching to a 9-9 record in 157 innings. He was then placed on the 10-day disabled list because of a right forearm tightness on April 15, 2018. After two days, on April 17, it was announced that he was diagnosed with a UCL injury in his right elbow. It was then revealed on April 18, that he had a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow. The injury required Tommy John surgery, bringing Walker’s 2018 season to a premature end.
After his Tommy John surgery, Walker appeared in one game for Arizona, the last game of the 2019 season. He was non-tendred by Arizona and became a free agent on December 2, 2019. On February 4, 2020, he worked out for 20 scouts from Major League teams.
Second Stint with the Seattle Mariners
Walker signed a one-year deal for $2 million to go back to the Seattle Mariners on February 12, 2020.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Mariners then traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later or cash considerations on August 27, 2020. They later sent Alberto Rodriguez to Seattle to finish the trade on September 1, 2020. On August 29, 2020, Walker made his Blue Jays debut against the Baltimore Orioles, throwing 6 scoreless innings, and allowing 4 hits. With the 2020 Toronto Blue Jays, he appeared in 6 games, compiling a 2-1 record with a 1.37 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings pitched.
New York Mets
Walker agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the New York Mets with a player option for the 2023 season on February 10, 2021. He was then named to the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, his first career nomination, taking the place of teammate Jacob deGrom. However, his performance plummeted after the All-Star break. He posted a 7-3 record with a 2.66 ERA in the first half and was 0-8 with a 7.13 ERA in the back half. Walker completed the 2021 season with a 7-11 record overall and a 4.47 ERA in 159 innings. Following hurting himself swinging right-handed, he started batting left-handed in August 2021. However, as a bunter, he still does so right-handedly.
Scouting report
Walker throws a mid-90s four-seam fastball, a curveball, and a changeup. He additionally has started to develop a sinker and cut fastball.
Taijuan Walker Net Worth
American professional baseball pitcher, Walker plays for the New York Mets of the MLB. He has been active from 2010 to the present and earns a salary of $10 million per year. Walker has been able to garn an accumulative net worth of approximately $4 million as of 2022.