Acquiring Tyrone Taylor Was An Unsung Gem By Jed Hoyer At Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs were one of the more active teams at this year’s MLB Trade Deadline, and one of their bigger splashes was acquiring Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor from the Mets. They pulled this move off in the final few hours, and while Holmes is the headliner of the deal, Taylor deserves some attention for what he’s been up to this year and what he can offer. Let’s break down what he can bring to the table.

Understanding Tyrone Taylor's Fit With Cubs

Taylor is now with his third organization. The 32-year-old outfielder was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, as the Crew selected him in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Taylor was picked right out of high school and eventually made his debut in the 2019 MLB season. Over what is now an eight-year career, the former Met has 60 home runs, 41 stolen bases and is slashing .238/.292/.422 (.714 OPS).

Milwaukee then dealt Taylor in 2023. The Mets were in the market for pitching, so the Brewers gave them Adrian Houser, throwing in Taylor in exchange for pitching prospect Coleman Crow.

Flashing Speed

One of the first aspects you’ll notice about Taylor is his quickness. It’s apparent in the outfield and on the bases, as the veteran can cover plenty of ground with what serves as his main appeal now. Taylor, even when he isn’t an everyday player, has managed to establish a presence on the bases. Last year, he stole 12 bases in 113 games. It isn’t a high mark, but with the new disengagement rules being employed, we could see him be more aggressive depending on the situation.

Referencing a larger sample size from last year, the Cubs’ newest outfielder logged a sprint speed of 29.3 ft/s, good enough to put him in the 94th percentile. Taylor was also touted as one of the best defenders in baseball last year, when he was on the field. His arm value of +5 (98th percentile) is top-tier, with a three outs above average (OAA) range rating being very respectable in the 84th percentile. As Taylor has progressed through the big leagues, his speed, and how he weaponizes it on defense, has been his best attribute.

Pull-Side Thump

The Brewers couldn’t get the veteran outfielder to stick in his time in Milwaukee, and the Mets, in the midst of a rebuild, were clearly aiming to offload him too. That being said, he is quietly putting up one of his best seasons at the plate from a power perspective. 

In just 67 games, Taylor has hit 10 of his 35 hits out of the yard. His career-high home run mark is 17, a value he hit back in the 2022 season. He’s currently on pace for just under 30 homers in a 162-game season. When taking a look at his spray chart, it’s clear that this is someone who is at their best when they can clip the ball out in front. The California native has hit all 10 of his round-trippers to left field this year, using an 11.9 percent barrel percentage to do so.

Taylor’s 19.5 percent strikeout rate is admirable, but he’s never walked above the league average mark in his career, so it’s a tough sell to etch out an everyday spot for someone with an on-base percentage below .300.

Where Does He Belong?

Taylor will likely go back and forth with veteran Michael Conforto for the fourth outfield spot. Conforto has nine home runs and 24 RBI while slashing .231/.325/.456 this season, starting the year off red-hot before coming down to earth. The Cubs already have two elite defenders up the middle with Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner. Pete Crow-Armstrong could very well be on his way to another Gold Glove in center field, and having someone like Tyrone Taylor on the bench should keep the defense flowing even when the superstar sits.

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