Giants remove Ryan Walker from closer's role, turn back to Camilo Doval
The Giants are moving right-handed reliever Camilo Doval back into the closer's role, manager Bob Melvin told reporters on Wednesday. He'll replace right-hander Ryan Walker, who has been the one struggling reliever in a bullpen that's otherwise been one of the most effective in baseball.
Doval has a 1.16 ERA this season in 25 appearances, and he hasn't allowed a home run in 23 1/3 innings. He's allowed three runs this year, all of them coming in two games at the beginning of the season. Since then, he's thrown 18 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and five walks and striking out 18.
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Walker became the closer last August, after Doval struggled with his control and blew multiple saves, and he finished with one of the best relief seasons in Giants history, with 10 wins and a 1.91 ERA, as well as 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He was hampered this spring training with back issues, though, and he's struggled to find his command and control all season.
If there's a bright spot for Walker, there are several statistics that suggest he hasn't been as bad as his 4.95 ERA, from his expected ERA (3.27) to his Fielding Independent Pitching (2.86). His percentage of stranded runners — 57.1 percent — has been one of the worst in baseball, and that's typically not a predictive statistic.
On the other hand, Walker's strikeout rate has fallen from 32.1 percent in 2024 to 22.6 percent this season, and both his command and control have been noticeably worse than they were last season. In a bullpen with three relievers (Doval, Randy Rodríguez and Tyler Rogers) with sub-2.00 ERAs, it was getting harder to justify giving him save opportunities.
(Photo of Doval: Robert Edwards / Imagn Images)
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