Monday, January 04, 2010
Michael Taylor finds a new home
Posted by Alex PediciniI doubt many prospects have had a more tumultuous off-season than outfielder Michael Taylor. I profiled Taylor back in July when he appeared to be on the fast track to Philadelphia after scorching the Eastern League to a tune of .333/.408/.569. He enjoyed similar success in Triple-A where he posted a .375 wOBA in 128 plate appearances over the last month and half of the 2009 season.
However, since the end of the season Taylor has been been swapped to two different teams. He was first dealt to Toronto as part of the trade that brought Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. Toronto, in turn, shipped him off to Oakland in exchange for prospect Brett Wallace.
In Oakland Taylor has a chance to compete right away for a corner outfield spot, where the Athletics are noticeably thin. Oakland views Taylor has a Jermaine Dye type of player, both in terms of size (Taylor is listed at 6'6, 250) and skill set. He possesses a unique blend of size and speed (21 stolen bases in 26 attempts in 2009).
According to BaseballProjection.com, Taylor projects to hit .272/.324/.437 (worth roughly five runs per 150 games). These numbers are slightly above average which I'm sure Oakland will gladly accept from their 24-year old rookie. While Taylor has good athleticism his defense rates out as only average. He has a chance to become a solid everyday player with 20 home run and 20 stolen base potential.
Alex is a student in Boston. He welcomes all questions and comments here