Tankersley Joins Hoppers
Published on June 13, 2005 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Greensboro Grasshoppers News Release
(GREENSBORO, NC) Left-handed pitcher, Taylor Tankersley will join the Grasshoppers rotation as he makes his season debut on Tuesday, June 14 against the Savannah Sand Gnats.
As the Florida Marlin's first-round draft pick (27th overall) in 2004, Tankersley, spent last season with the Jamestown Jammers, a short season, low-A baseball team, where he held a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 3.38. Tankersley pitched 26.2 innings while striking out 32, allowing 21 hits and 10 earned runs.
Tankersley attended the University of Alabama where he was put up impressive numbers as a closer his freshman year. There, he went 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA, and seven saves. He entered the rotation his sophomore year but was plagued with a wrist injury and posted a 7-5 record and a 5.88 ERA.
He began his junior season with the Crimson Tide once again in the bullpen. He posted three saves and allowed no earned runs before reclaiming his starting position. Finishing the season, he was 1-3 posting a 1.98ERA, with 41 strikeouts and 16 walks in 41 innings as a starter. Tankersley was drafted out of the University of Alabama where he finished his career seventh on the school's all-time strikeout list with 232.
Tankersley, son of a nuclear physicist, attributes his athleticism to his paternal grandfather, Earl Tankersley, who pitched in the minors. His grandfather taught him the strategy and importance of pitching inside. According to Baseball America, Tankersley shows bulldog mentality and throws from a low three-quarters arm slot, making him particularly tough on lefties. He throws strikes and has a great versatility having both started and relieved in college. Tankersley doesn't have an overpowering fastball and his velocity sometimes dips into the high 80's. With his college background and maturity level, both physical and mental, Tankersley should move quickly through the system.
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