If the San Francisco Giants are going to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021 and just the second time since 2016, it’s essential that they get more production out of the bullpen. Sergio Romo, a former All-Star reliever for the Giants, believes there’s a star in the making on the roster.
While Ryan Walker has shown flashes of being a star since his MLB debut in 2023, he’s also experienced some struggles. The 2025 season was the worst of Walker’s short career.
Romo, though, sees potential in Walker and likes his chances of having a good bounce-back season in 2026.
Sergio Romo Sees Ryan Walker as a More Talented Version of Himself
During his playing days, Romo was a one-time All-Star and was an integral part of the bullpen that helped the Giants win three World Series championships. Romo was not effective because of overpowering stuff but because he located his pitches well, had a strong breaking ball and was selective about when he threw a fastball, as Miguel Cabrera and the Detroit Tigers learned in 2012.
Romo praised Walker’s stuff while talking on KNBR’s “Papa & Silver” with hosts Greg Papa and Greg Silver. He’s also impressed with how Walker is approaching the 2026 season after losing the closer’s job in 2025.
“I’m excited to just keep reaffirming that his conviction is real and it plays,” Romo said, as transcribed by Dan Dempster of NBC Sports Bay Area. “And his ability; he can do what I did 10 miles harder, 10 miles faster with the breaking ball and the sinker. It’s impressive, right? And it’s hard to control that.”
Romo continued.
“And if he can find a way to mentally stay consistent? Man, I think he can be an all-star, I really believe that.”
Walker has Shown All-Star Form Before
From his MLB debut in 2023 until late in the 2024 season, Walker was used primarily in a set-up role for the Giants. But when a struggling Camilo Doval was removed as closer and sent down in August, Walker took over.
Walker thrived in the closer role that year. As the closer, Walker posted a 0.92 ERA, 0.763 WHIP and a 12.9 K/9 rate. That capped off what was a stellar season for Walker, who finished the year with a 1.91 ERA, 0.850 WHIP and an 11.1 K/9 rate.
The 2025 season was a different story.
Walker struggled early. Through May, he posted a 4.87 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. His strikeout rate dropped to 8.3 K/9 while his walk rate increased to 3.1 BB/9. At the end of May, Doval reassumed the closer role. Walker didn’t reclaim it until later in the season, after Doval was traded to the New York Yankees and All-Star Randy Rodriguez underwent Tommy John Surgery.
But in recapping Walker’s 2025 season, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area detailed that he might have pitched better than his numbers showed.
“Walker’s ERA jumped from 1.91 in 2024 to 4.11 in 2025, but his FIP was 3.30 and his xERA was 3.85,” Pavlovic said. “He faced 266 batters and gave up just four homers. His walk rate was higher than in 2020, but still put him well above average.
“His hard-hit percentage was the lowest of his career, but he had set an impossible bar in the previous two seasons, finishing in the 99th percentile and then 98th percentile,” Pavlovic continued. “Last season, Walker ranked in the 86th percentile, and he continued to get groundballs at a good clip.”
Pavlovic did acknowledge that Walker’s struggles with controlling his slider meant that he had to challenge a big part of the strike zone with his other pitches, which led to harder contact. Walker, though, seemed to know what was causing the issues with his slider.
“Last year I would start counter-rotating pretty heavily and that just made it hard to get back to where I need to be to get my pitches to do what they need to do and be where they need to be,” Walker said, per Pavlovic. “I just kind of focused on staying more square and having a better direction towards the mound with my upper body so I don’t get too counter-rotated. That’s helped out a lot getting my arm to where it needs to be.”
Giants’ Pitcher ‘Can be an All-Star,’ per Team Legend