Author Topic: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF  (Read 18126 times)

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Offline blue911

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #100: June 13, 2014, 12:25:46 PM »
If he's striking out in aa, major league pitching may be rough (does anyone know if its swing and miss or looking?)

75/25

Offline Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #101: June 13, 2014, 02:00:24 PM »
The best move might be to call up Taylor to the MLB while Harper is still out, and see if Taylor allows you to trade high on Span.

But I doubt they'd do it as I think moving Zimmerman back to third is a bluff.
It's not a bluff. Zim's bat is more important than his glove.

Offline vernon337

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #102: June 13, 2014, 03:02:44 PM »
He has cut his strikeout rate from 40% in April down to 25% for May-June.  That's about what his rate was the previous three seasons. 

BTW, did you know we have the player with the highest strikeout rate (Espinosa) in the NL and the lowest (Span)?


Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #103: June 13, 2014, 05:18:19 PM »
He has cut his strikeout rate from 40% in April down to 25% for May-June.  That's about what his rate was the previous three seasons. 

BTW, did you know we have the player with the highest strikeout rate (Espinosa) in the NL and the lowest (Span)?


At least Espinosa is consistent.

Offline tomterp

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #104: June 13, 2014, 05:56:10 PM »
At least Espinosa is consistent.

I could be even more consistent.   

Offline daggerrrrrr

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #105: June 14, 2014, 09:52:13 PM »
Tonight... Avg.336 5/AB, 2/R, 3/H, 1/2B, 0BB, 0/SO This kid is going be a superstar.

Offline Terpfan76

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #106: June 17, 2014, 09:40:17 PM »
Tonight... Avg.336 5/AB, 2/R, 3/H, 1/2B, 0BB, 0/SO This kid is going be a superstar.


What's the velocity like on his bunts?

Offline daggerrrrrr

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #107: June 18, 2014, 05:02:43 PM »
What's the velocity like on his bunts?
Pretty damn good. Legendary I hear.

Offline sportsfan882

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #108: June 18, 2014, 10:32:47 PM »
.332 BA, 17 HRs, 17 SBs through 66 games. :shock:

Close to what George Springer was doing last year during his 37 HR/45 SB campaign between AA and AAA.

Offline welch

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #109: June 19, 2014, 12:59:40 AM »
A traffic jam in CF when Taylor moves to Syracuse unless Goodwin has learned to hit. Taylor with his 17th homer tonight.

Offline Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #110: June 19, 2014, 09:50:13 AM »
A traffic jam in CF when Taylor moves to Syracuse unless Goodwin has learned to hit. Taylor with his 17th homer tonight.

Move Taylor to RF

Offline kirubel94

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #111: June 19, 2014, 09:59:52 AM »
Move Taylor to RF
Why do that when he is regarded as the best defensive CF in the system?

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #112: June 19, 2014, 10:01:36 AM »
Why do that when he is regarded as the best defensive CF in the system?

because god forbid he leapfrog a guy hitting .223/.360/.341    in aaa

Offline Hogie

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #113: June 19, 2014, 10:35:56 AM »
Michael Taylor was referred to as the best defensive center fielder on the planet earlier this year. He's not moving to RF.

Offline Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #114: June 19, 2014, 12:38:16 PM »
Who freaking cares? His arm plays in RF. It'll be good for him to learn the other OF position. Especially since Bryce Harper will be our CFer for the next 5years.

Offline kirubel94

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Offline daggerrrrrr

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #116: June 19, 2014, 10:29:57 PM »
Taylor went 3for4 with 1RBI tonight. Avg .339

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #117: June 20, 2014, 01:20:11 PM »
Mayflies & Big Flies ‏@Mayflies  50m
Only Vlad and @CliffFloyd30 have put up numbers for the #HbgSens as impressive as Michael Taylor has http://mayfliesandbigflies.com/2014/06/20/the-skys-the-limit-for-michael-taylor/ … #Nats

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #118: June 20, 2014, 03:49:44 PM »
OK, Player X at ages 21- 23

21 - A+ - .248 / .343 / .391, 6 HR, 538 PAs, 101 Ks, 60 BB
22 - AA - .249 / .355 / .429, 11 HR, 419 PAs,  104 Ks, 54 BBs
23 - AA - .300 / .402 / .600, 28 HR, 563 PAs, 117 Ks, 71 BBs

By 24, he was mostly a full time major leaguer.  6'2", 210 lbs.

Taylor

21 - A+ - .242 / .318 / .362, 3 HR, 431 PAs, 113 K, 40 BB.
22 - A+ - .263 / .340 / .426, 10 HR, 581 PAs, 131 Ks, 55 BBs
23 - AA - .339 / .419 / .602, 17 HR, 293 PAs, 85 Ks, 33 BBs.

6'3", 210.

He is not showing the plate discipline of Mike Cameron at the same level at age 23, but if he continues to show the discipline he has this month going forward, he could end up with close to a 2:1 K:BB.   He's probably not quite as advanced as Cameron at the same age, but he's also probably going to be allowed more experience in the minors and a chance to further develop his plate approach.

Interesting that they both played A+ in Woodbridge.

Is Cameron his upside?

I posted this in the BA top 10 thread, then came over here to see if the comparison has been made before.  Check Linty's 2d post of the thread, where he quotes BA.

Offline monkeyhit

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #119: June 20, 2014, 04:26:00 PM »
There is little doubt that Rizzo is just drooling over his AA beef, but to make room he will have to harpoon his white whale.  Decisions, decisions...

Offline houston-nat

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #120: June 20, 2014, 04:28:59 PM »
There is little doubt that Rizzo is just drooling over his AA beef, but to make room he will have to harpoon his white whale.  Decisions, decisions...
It's fine. Taylor needs more time to work on his plate discipline and contact, and if he manages to get everything together this summer, then we audition him for a few starts in September and have him in the majors full-time in 2015. If he goes cold or the strikeouts tick back up, he keeps learning at AA.

Offline Slateman

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #121: June 20, 2014, 06:45:37 PM »
Am I the only one that is suspicious of his .400+ BABIP? I mean, I get that you expect BABIP to be higher in Double A, but that seems ridiculous. Seems like he is simply waiting on a fastball, knowing that pitchers in Double A will struggle to throw breaking stuff for strikes.

Offline Lintyfresh85

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #122: June 20, 2014, 11:11:05 PM »
I've noticed Taylor has retooled his swing a bit since I last saw him... gets his bat in a load position a lot quicker. That's good to see.

Offline daggerrrrrr

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #123: June 21, 2014, 12:05:27 AM »
I've noticed Taylor has retooled his swing a bit since I last saw him... gets his bat in a load position a lot quicker. That's good to see.
Taylor's pitch recognition is still subpar, but he seems to have improved the latter issues thanks to an adjustment in his stride. In video I watched of Taylor in June 2013, he employed a toe tap while getting ready to swing. At first, his left foot would lift slightly and he would bring it down on its toes, then he'd lunge forward from there, returning the left foot flat on the ground.

As the split-screen photo shows below, that's no longer the case. Both photos were screen grabbed as the ball left the pitcher's hand.
On the left, from 2013, Taylor is in the middle of his toe tap; on the right, from 2014, his left leg is raised a few inches off the ground.

The leg lift appears to have made it easier for Taylor to go from deciding to swing to actually swinging. In watching a few 2013 at-bats, it appears Taylor was often late bringing the bat to the hitting zone and would be forced to hurry his swing to catch up. When he did this, he had a tendency to jerk his head while trying to whip the barrel into the zone, and that kind of head movement can make it difficult to make solid contact.

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140604&content_id=77997848&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb

Offline NJ Ave

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Re: Follow the Prospects: Michael Taylor, CF
« Reply #124: June 23, 2014, 03:54:47 PM »
Fascinating parallel to Fangraphs' analysis of Carlos Gomez today. The pictures won't load here, but when they gave him permission to be aggessive and drive the ball, it looks like he similarly brought his front foot off the ground as the ball is pitched, and it similarly results in a power explosion. Pictures in the link below.

Hopefully Taylor continues the progression in the same way Gomez did.

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/carlos-gomezs-symbolic-pursuit/