The Mariners promoted top prospect Taijuan Walker to Triple-A Tacoma, after a string of dominant starts to close out his Double-A career. Walker struck out 12 in 6 2/3 innings for Double-A Jackson Thursday, closing a streak of five starts with at least five strikeouts and now more than two earned runs allowed.
Walker, the No. 18 prospect in the game according to Baseball America, finished with a 2.46 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 84 innings for Jackson.
"We feel that Taijuan has accomplished his goals at Double-A and it is time for the next step in his career," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a release. "He is a very hard worker and has tremendous talent. We are looking forward to watching his development continue."
Walker is just 20 and has a chance to see the majors before the end of the season.