San Francisco Giants Star Reliever Reveals What Led to Major League Breakthrough

The San Francisco Giants stumbled upon a diamond in the rough when they selected pitcher Ryan Walker with the No. 916 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft.

Selected in the 31st round, he would have gone undrafted nowadays with the draft only featuring 20 rounds. On the receiving end of a modest $2,500 bonus, he had his work cut out for him to make an impression and stick around.

His struggles at Washington State as a senior led to him plummeting in the draft, but it was his unique windup and delivery that he believes helped him remain with the franchise.

“I think that’s what kept me in the game, honestly,” Walker said, via Tyler Kepner of The Athletic (subscription required). “If I was a standard, average righty, I wouldn’t have gotten a shot. I think they liked the deception. That’s how I could get away with throwing 90-92 at the time.”

Against the odds with his crossfire delivery, Walker was able to intrigue the team enough to keep him through 2020, when the minor league season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With his performance on the rise, he decided to commit to perfecting his craft off the field, looking to improve results as much as possible.

He hired a personal trainer who helped him improve strength in his lower body. A focus was put on his landing leg to help relieve pressure off of his shoulder, improving mobility to support the unorthodox delivery he was working with.

The effort was worthwhile.

Walker saw an immediate increase in velocity within a few weeks, reaching 97 mph, and his body was starting to feel better overall, too.

“Literally within a month or two, I gained five or six miles an hour, just by moving more efficiently,” Walker said. “The soreness went away and everything just felt better. That’s what boosted my career.”

The work he has put in has paid off handsomely, as the talented righty has turned into one of the most dominant relievers in baseball.

His velocity increase first popped up in 2022, and during 2023, he was called up for his debut in the Major Leagues.

Normally, players in his position are yo-yoed back and forth between Triple-A and the Majors, especially when they have options remaining. But that didn’t happen to Walker, who made his debut May 21, 2023 and has stuck since.

In 2024, he put himself in rarified air by throwing 80 innings with 99 strikeouts and a 1.91 ERA. Manager Bob Melvin moved him into the closer’s role in August, and that is where he will be to begin the 2025 campaign.

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