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Taylor Widener

Taylor Widener

P | B/T: L/R | 6' 0" 195 | Age: 24
Draft: 2016 (Rd: 12, #368, New York Yankees) - South Carolina
Aiken, SC USA
MLB Pipeline Rank:
ARI: No. 13 |
MLB Rankings
Fastball Velocity
Fastball Spin
Curve Spin
K%
Exit Velocity
Hard Hit %
Pop Time
Framing
Outs Above Avg
Outfielder Jump
Sprint Speed
xwOBA
xBA
xSLG
 
Poor
Avg
Great

Stats

W L ERA G GS SV IP SO WHIP
2019 6 7 8.18 22 22 0 99.0 108 1.76
Career Minors 21 23 4.09 88 76 4 394.0 472 1.21
G W-L ERA IP SO WHIP
2019 22 6-7 8.18 99.0 108 1.76
Career Minors 88 21-23 4.09 394.0 472 1.21

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Standard Minor League Pitching Statistics

SeasonTmLGLWLERAGGSSVIPHRERHRBBSOWHIP
2016 2 Teams Minors 3 0 0.47 13 2 4 38.1 17 2 2 2 7 59 0.63
2016 Staten Island Yankees NYP A(Short) 2 0 0.00 6 1 1 15.1 2 0 0 0 4 25 0.39
2016 Charleston RiverDogs SAL A(Full) 1 0 0.78 7 1 3 23.0 15 2 2 2 3 34 0.78
2017 Tampa Yankees FSL A(Adv) 7 8 3.39 27 27 0 119.1 87 53 45 5 50 129 1.15
2018 Jackson Generals SOU AA 5 8 2.75 26 25 0 137.1 99 42 42 12 43 176 1.03
2019 Reno Aces PCL AAA 6 7 8.18 22 22 0 99.0 133 90 90 23 41 108 1.76

Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

Widener was largely a reliever at South Carolina and dominated out of the bullpen during his 2016 pro debut after the Yankees selected him in the 12th round. Moved into the rotation in 2017, he finished fourth in the system in strikeouts and sixth in ERA, then moved up to Double-A, where he finished off a playoff no-hitter. After being acquired by Arizona in a three-team trade in February that sent Brandon Drury to New York, Widener led the Double-A Southern League in strikeouts (176) and WHIP (1.03) and ranked second in ERA (2.75) in his second full season.

Widener confidently attacks hitters with a plus fastball that sits at 92-94 mph, bumps a few ticks higher and has a high-spin rate that helps him generate whiffs. He made progress in 2018 in developing an effective changeup, now his better secondary weapon, and he continues to work on the consistency and action of his mid-80s slider. He has an athletic delivery that he can repeat well, which should lead to solid control.

That Widener held up physically during his first two full seasons as a starter is encouraging considering he had ulnar transposition surgery on his pitching elbow in the fall of 2015 and also missed time with back and knee issues in college. Those prior injuries, combined with the fact that both his delivery and arm action require effort, have led some to forecast an eventual move to the bullpen, but the D-backs have been pleased with his development as a starter and will continue to develop him in that role.

Transactions

Team Date Transaction
08/04/2019 Reno Aces placed RHP Taylor Widener on the 7-day injured list.
04/04/2019 RHP Taylor Widener assigned to Reno Aces.
01/31/2019 Arizona Diamondbacks invited non-roster RHP Taylor Widener to spring training.
04/04/2018 RHP Taylor Widener assigned to Jackson Generals from Reno Aces.
02/20/2018 Arizona Diamondbacks Traded 3B Brandon Drury to New York Yankees; New York Yankees Traded Taylor Widener to Arizona Diamondbacks; New York Yankees Traded Nick Solak to Tampa Bay Rays; Tampa Bay Rays Traded RF Steven Souza Jr. to Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Diamondbacks Traded LHP Anthony Banda and Player To Be Named Later to Tampa Bay Rays.
02/20/2018 Arizona Diamondbacks invited non-roster RHP Taylor Widener to spring training.
02/20/2018 RHP Taylor Widener assigned to Reno Aces.
02/02/2018 New York Yankees invited non-roster RHP Taylor Widener to spring training.
09/05/2017 RHP Taylor Widener assigned to Trenton Thunder from Tampa Yankees.
07/30/2016 RHP Taylor Widener assigned to Charleston RiverDogs from Staten Island Yankees.
06/22/2016 RHP Taylor Widener assigned to Staten Island Yankees.
06/21/2016 New York Yankees signed RHP Taylor Widener.