A shortstop in high school who converted to pitching in college -- first at Long Beach State, then Cypress College (JUCO) and eventually UC Irvine -- Taylor finished his pre-pro circuit as a dominant closer. The Mariners liked him so much that they drafted him twice -- first in the 20th round in 2021 (when they failed to sign him), then again in the 12th round in '22, when they brought him in for $125,000.
With that closer’s profile, Taylor has a power repertoire complete with a two-pitch mix. He leans heavily on his two-seam fastball, which sits 94-96 mph, reaches up to 98 and has the ability to utilize it to both sides of the plate. His slider has sharp vertical break, late sweep and sits in the 85-87 mph range, leading most scouts to think it can be a plus offering. The significant movement of each can lead him to steer away from the plate, so harnessing that command will be vital as he moves forward.
Taylor has continued his closer trajectory as a pro, earning a promotion from Single-A Modesto to High-A Everett (where he finished the season), surrendering just one earned run to go with 11 strikeouts in eight outings. He followed it up with a dominant showing in the Arizona Fall League, bringing his season strikeout rate across all affiliates and the AFL to 30.7 percent.
How this works: Every pitch is affected by the forces of gravity,
which means that every pitch drops on its way from the mound to the plate.
These numbers are reported with gravity, which makes them larger and
different than other pitch movement numbers you may have seen. Since gravity
requires time, and slower pitches aren’t ‘better’ just because they have
more time to move, the movement of a pitch is compared to ‘average’ movement
by comparing it to other MLB pitch types within +/- 2 MPH and from within
+/- 0.5 feet of extension and release.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
Team
Avg HR Trot
Actual HR
xHR
HR-xHR
Doubters
Mostly Gone
No Doubters
No Doubter %
2024
25.2
1
0.4
1
1
1
0
0.0
Player
25.2
1
0.4
1
1
1
0
0.0
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
Player
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
2
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift:
three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of
their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about
how positioning is defined here