July 15, 2024
The Pirates have selected Taylor with the 145th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.
ANALYSIS
A desire to play football as well as baseball in college caused Taylor to miss a chance at a big payday out of high school in 2019. Injuries at Clemson led to multiple knee surgeries however, forcing him to give up the gridiron, but he had an impressive 2023 season as a hitter before a broken wrist ruined his 2024 campaign. The lost development time have hurt his ability to turn his athleticism into power at the plate, and the knee surgeries have sapped his foot speed, although he can still handle center field defensively.