Chris Taylor First Alumni Named MLB All-Star
July 6, 2021 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I. - On July 4, 2021, Los Angeles Dodgers infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor became the first-ever Newport Gull alumnus selected to the MLB All-Star team. The fan-voted starting lineups were announced July 1 and followed by the reserve selections several days later. Taylor was selected to the National League team as a reserve by the Commissioner's Office.
Taylor, who played for Newport in 2010, has excelled on both sides of the ball this season, as evidenced by his 2.3 WAR (wins above replacement) which ranks 14th in the National League and 29th in all of baseball. The utility man has played 40 games in center field, 36 at second base, nine in left field, six at shortstop, two at third base, and one in right field. To top it off, Taylor, in the midst of his eighth major league season, has a career-best 134 OPS+, meaning he has been 34% better than league average at the plate.
On May 31, 2021, Chris Taylor stepped up to the plate for a Los Angeles Dodgers team in need of a big hit. LA (31-22) had just relinquished a 2-0 lead to the St. Louis Cardinals (30-24) but had battled back to tie the ballgame at three apiece. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the sixth, the Dodgers were in prime position to capitalize on clutch hitting. However, Cardinals hurler Genesis Cabrera would prove to be no easy matchup. The southpaw came into the ballgame sporting a sterling 1.75 ERA and nine holds, featuring a four-pitch arsenal (four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup). Nevertheless, Taylor bore down and did what he has done his entire career: battle.
A fifth-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners in the 2012 MLB June Amateur Draft, Taylor left his home state of Virginia, where he had competed for the Cavaliers, and headed to the Mariners' low A affiliates. The Virginian excelled at every stop along the way (.320/.407/.463 slash in MILB from '12-'14) and earned a reputation as a fundamentally sound player. In 2013, Mariners Minor League Coordinator Chris Gwynn said "offensively [Taylor]'s getting on, stealing a base, driving in runs, moving guys over. He's just a smart player". The speedster's knack for getting on base and wreaking havoc on the basepaths (69-86 in SBA) propelled him through the minors, and after a short period of time in Seattle's farm system, Taylor received a promotion to the big league club on July 24, 2014, just over two years after he was drafted.
The Dodgers would have happily taken a walk by Taylor on that cool, spring night in Chavez Ravine. A base on balls would have given LA the lead over St. Louis and kept the rally alive. But, after walking the previous batter with the bases loaded and starting Taylor off 2-0, Cabrera would regain his control. The lefty came right back at Taylor with an 80-MPH curveball that was fouled off, followed by a 97-MPH fastball up in the zone that was swung on and missed. Taylor's uppercut swing at times leaves him susceptible to high heat, but it is the reason why he was at the forefront of the launch angle revolution that altered the trajectory of his career.
After a solid start to his career in Seattle in 2014 (.287/.347/.346 in 151 PA), Taylor found himself at a bit of a crossroads in 2015. He proved himself to be better than the competition he was facing in AAA (.300/.391/.429 in 396 PA) but struggled mightily in the majors (.170/.220/.223). After experiencing more of the same following a trade to Los Angeles in 2016 (.891 OPS in AAA, .620 in MLB), he decided to make a change. Taylor saw the success of former '4A player' J.D. Martinez, who had altered his swing in a major way, turning himself from a 12% below average hitter in three seasons with Houston (88 OPS+ in 975 PA from '11-'13) to an elite hitter in Detroit (145 OPS+ in 1137 PA from '14-'15). He soon came to find out that the change Martinez made was more than just a relocation to the Motor City. Taylor began to visit with Martinez's hitting consultant Craig Wallenbrock, a long-time proponent of launch angle. Wallenbrock's beginning premise is simple: there are five fielders in the infield (including the pitcher) and just three in the outfield. By hitting the ball in the air to the outfield, the batter should have a greater chance of earning himself a base knock. Taylor understood that a drastic change in his swing could be a death sentence to his career, but he was tired of being in limbo.
The Dodgers crowd of 18,000 fans was in limbo itself as Taylor awaited the 2-2 pitch from Cabrera. The Dodger faithful would be kept on the edge of their seats for quite a while as the following sequence ensued: 98 MPH fastball - FOUL, 98 MPH fastball - FOUL, 98 MPH fastball - FOUL, 99 MPH fastball - FOUL. At this point, veteran catcher Yadier Molina makes a visit to the mound to presumably give Cabrera a rest and offer some words of encouragement. Taylor, now nine pitches deep in his at-bat, has a moment to pause as well. The at-bat is already an impressive feat, even considering his most successful years with the Dodgers.
The swing change did wonders for Taylor, as he went on to blast 60 extra-base hits in 2017, helping the Dodgers to the World Series for the first time since 1988. His .850 OPS ranked fourth on the team among qualifiers, just four points shy of highly touted prospect Corey Seager, and his 21 home runs were 13 more than he had hit in a season at any professional level. Throughout the season Taylor had increased his versatility as well, playing 38 or more innings at five positions: 2B, 3B, SS, LF, and CF. Over the next three years, Taylor became one of the most valuable utility players in baseball, and his combined WAR from 2017-2020 was 24th best in the National League. He played a key role in the Dodgers World Series Championship in 2020, starting Game 6 at second base and witnessing the final out from his new position in left field.
Molina settles back behind the plate and Cabrera loops in a curveball that misses inside for the ninth pitch of the at-bat. With a full count, Cabrera attempts to put a dagger in the at-bat by pulling out his best weapon; one Taylor has not seen yet. The fire-thrower changes pace and releases a 90 MPH changeup, a pitch that has a .091 opponent average (as of July 4th) and would have led to the demise of most hitters, but not Taylor, who spoils it foul. The scrappy Dodger fouls the eleventh pitch, a 99 MPH heater, the twelfth pitch, an 82 MPH curve, and the thirteenth, a 98 MPH speedball. The last 14-pitch at-bat by a member of the Dodgers came 640 days prior (Aug. 30, 2019) and resulted in a walk by Justin Turner. Taylor planned on doing more damage, as he reared back and launched an elevated Cabrera fastball into the right-center gap. Three Dodgers crossed the plate as their not-so-secret weapon scampered into second base to conclude the at-bat of the season.
Taylor's bases-clearing double is a fitting representation of his performance thus far this season. The veteran received his first career all-star selection on July 4 and is posting career-best numbers. Only Jake Cronenworth of the San Diego Padres has played at least three positions (first base, second base, shortstop) and recorded a higher WAR than Taylor (2.6). Taylor has played six positions and rated about league average at all of them, which is not an easy feat when considering the defensively demanding nature of centerfield, second base, and shortstop (combined 551 innings at these positions in 2021). Taylor's eye has been perhaps his best quality, as he is already nearing his career-high in walks in about half the plate appearances (55 BB in 304 PA in '18 to 41 BB in 309 PA in '21). This success can be attributed to a more selective approach at the plate. Taylor has only swung at 19.6% of pitches out of the strike zone this season, which ranks 12th in all of baseball. It is fitting that Taylor's double came off of a Cabrera fastball in the zone, as his +13 run value off of four-seam fastball ranks fifth in baseball, just behind notable sluggers Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Shohei Ohtani and just ahead of Aaron Judge.
Taylor's 2021 all-star selection is the culmination of years of hard work, including 673 major league games comprising 2427 plate appearances and 4900.1 defensive innings. Thanks to the Commissioner's Office, the utility man can now add 'all-star' to a list of career accolades that includes a World Series Championship. The Dodgers are once again in contention for a playoff spot with a 53-51 record and a second place position in the National League West this season, so we can expect that their utility weapon Taylor will continue to be at the forefront of any further success down the road.
While Taylor is by far the most successful Newport alumnus in the big leagues this year, others have made names for themselves as well. Will Smith of the Dodgers has arguably been the second most valuable catcher in baseball this year (2.8 WAR). Tommy Edman of the Cardinals has been one of the best defensive players in the league (+7 OOA). James Karinchak of the Indians (2.48 ERA / 9 SV) and Andrew Kittredge of the Rays (1.62 ERA / 5W) have both been relief aces for their respective teams. Part of the allure of the upcoming All Star Game at Cardines Field is the opportunity to watch players selected as all-stars in the NECBL, but Taylor shows that, in addition, there is always the chance that one of these players might just accomplish the same feat in a big league uniform.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 6, 2021
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- Chris Taylor First Alumni Named MLB All-Star - Newport Gulls
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