https://www.mlb.com/video/dodgers-draft-c-taylor-no-130?t=mlb-draft
Draft night is always an exciting time because of what might be in the not too distant future. It was especially exciting this year as it came in the midst of a world without baseball. Since there were only five rounds, it was a different kind of draft not leaving teams much room for error and providing a less take-a-chance atmosphere. That would be true for most teams, but I think the Dodgers are always in a take-a-chance mode. Why not as sure bets quite often turn out to be not sure bets.
For me, I am always more interested in youngsters drafted in later rounds and especially signed as free agents. The free agent signing period starts today and provides some real opportunities for the Dodgers, and other teams, to stock up on quality players that would be considered top ten round selections, even close to top five.
In the six selections made by the Dodgers on Wednesday and Thursday, I was most interested in the last two selections.
Virginia Tech catcher Carson Taylor with the No. 130 overall pick was selected in the fourth round on Thursday night. I expect his selection caught many of us off guard as the Dodger minor league system is quite well stacked with catchers. Still, during the past season Connor Wong was traded to the Red Sox and Jair Camargo to the Twins. Yet, that still leaves Keibert Ruiz and Diego Cartaya among others in the Dodger catching hopper with 25-year-old Will Smith holding down the fort at Dodger Stadium.
Of note, Taylor was ranked No. 218 by Baseball America prior to the draft and No.194 by MLB.com. Which begs the question, “What did the Dodgers see that others didn’t?” With just five rounds it more than take-a-chance.
There is not as much written about Carson Taylor as there is about Bobby Miller or Clayton Beeter, for instance, but enough to perhaps give us a feel about why Taylor was grabbed in the fourth round.
He was born in Atlanta and played high school ball first for two years at Hyde Park School under Coach Scott Ruffcorn and then two years at Greater Atlanta Christian School under Coach Robbie Wilson. He made his mark in high school earning letters all four seasons, twice gaining honorable mention with Perfect Game and first team all-state selections after his junior and senior seasons. He finished with the most runs batted in and doubles in a season at Greater Atlanta Christian School and is the only player in school history to complete a season without a single strikeout.
Taylor initially verbally committed to the University of Richmond but reconsidered after a coaching change at Richmond and then committed to Virginia Tech where he played for two years, both abbreviated.
His 2019 season was shortened somewhat by a hand injury in which he broke a hamate bone in his throwing hand when he was struck by a pitch. He did hit .290 and along the way he tied Virginia Tech and Atlantic Coast Conference records by hitting four doubles in one game.
Character counts. When asked about how he dealt with the injury and missing playing time by 6-4-3 DP Athletics, Taylor explained.
“Obviously, I was really disappointed when I learned my hand was broken and required surgery. And, unfortunately, I was moping around for a few days. It took me a few days to move on from the disappointment honestly. But over time it was a really good perspective thing for me. I was able to look at baseball in a different light because I had really been focusing on it as a player and as somebody who had been actively involved every day…until the injury. Now I had to find a new way to contribute to the team and to invest in the team, and for me that was to be the best teammate I possibly could. I really tried to support my other teammates and be there for them no matter what. The shift in perspective showed me to never take the sport for granted. It got taken away from me in the snap of a finger basically”.
Taylor next moved on to the Cape Cod League for the summer of 2019 and had a rather frustrating experience at the plate going just 5-for-33 for a .152 batting average. In the same interview he talked about that experience.
“I got off to an 0-14 start. I was not striking out, but I was not happy with my performance. I was frustrated. I started asking myself, ‘Why did I decide to come up here? I shouldn’t be here basically. I should still be recovering at my house.’ But in my 15th at-bat I hit a 3-run home run, and I was better at the plate for the remainder of the month.”
“Overall, it was a really good experience for me. My time in the Cape taught me a ton. One of the biggest things was learning to alter my work habits. I have always had the label of being a hard-working player. I was blessed enough to watch a lot of guys in the Cape that had a ton of success up there. I watched them find ways to get better even while they were successful. They kept trying to improve. That stuck with me.”
Taylor returned to Virginia Tech for his sophomore year and found immediate success, again in a shortened season due to Covid-19. He led the Hokies with a .431 batting average, as well as 25 hits, seven doubles and one triple . He hit two home runs (second) for a team-best 40 total bases and a .690 slugging percentage. He added team-highs with 19 runs scored, 20 RBI and 12 walks. He was hit by three pitches for a team-best .541 on-base percentage, hit one sacrifice fly and was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts. His hot start following the Cape Cod experience raised his draft profile enough to capture the Dodgers’ attention.
Billy Gasparino gave a glimpse of why the Dodgers selected Carson Taylor.
“He broke his [right] hamate bone in his freshman year, and tried to play in the Cape Cod with it. He played hurt,” Billy Gasparino, Dodgers vice president of amateur scouting said Thursday. “As you piece his performance and track together, it all makes sense. We think the healthy version of Taylor is [who] showed up this year.”
Taylor was not sure he would be drafted and was headed back to Virginia Tech if had not been selected in an effort to raise his profile even further. He was definitely on the cusp coming out of a shortened season and a draft reduced to five rounds.
“It’s a little disappointing,” Taylor told Roanoke.com. “It stinks that it’s five rounds only. But … whether I go this year or not, it’s out of my control.”
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Taylor posted a 1.000 fielding percentage in 2020 during his 16 games before the season came to a halt in March felt he gave his all in the abbreviated season and that he had grown considerably since his freshman year.
“I think I hit just as well from both sides of the plate,” he said.
“I made some really big jumps this year … defensively,” he said. “Receiving, handling a pitching staff, being able to run a game behind the plate — I took some big leaps there.”
“It was frustrating just from the fact that I didn’t get to finish my freshman year, either [because of the injury],” he said. “I got another year cut short.
“But I thought that I put my best foot forward as a player in every game prior to the season being cut short.”
Speculation is that Carson Taylor might not stick at the catching position but he has those qualities that the Dodgers seems to love. His bat would seem to play at first base or left field with more walks than strikeouts and average power. He will become a prime development project for the Dodgers at whatever position he eventually plays.
He has a closely knit family and appreciates the constant support from his mother and father who have shared his successes and his adversities. When asked by 6-4-3 DP Athletics what adversity has granted him as a young man and as an athlete he responded:
“It is hard to describe with words sometimes. It’s like that warm feeling when you were a kid and played the game of baseball with boyish enthusiasm and love of the sport. My perspective has shifted through the realization that this is a fun thing that I get to do.”
“I don’t forget that anymore. My work habits are improved as a hitter and catcher. But the biggest thing for me has been the added mental toughness. Coming through all these challenges, I feel that I can get through anything that happens you know…any struggles that I have either behind the plate or hitting. I know that I can and will push on through stuff (adversity or disappointment) and keep pushing myself to get better. I can and will keep building confidence even if I am maybe not as ‘successful’ as I had planned. I am much better now at finding the positives in the adversity that comes my way.”
Welcome to Dodger Blue Carson.
https://hokiesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/carson-taylor/9668
Discussion (58)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Happy Birthday Bear. Hope you catch some fish too.
I figure anytime I wake up and nothing new hurts, I am going to have a good day.
Well Bear, let me be among the first DodgerTalkers to wish you a Happy,Happy Birthday. Hope you do something special to celebrate.
Well tomorrow is supposedly the deadline set by the players, as today was the deadline set by the owners for a response. Me, at this point I really do not care if they play or not. I have bigger fish to fry. Today is my birthday…..# 72 and I am going to enjoy it even without the game I love. I think one of my fondest birthday memories was when the Lakers won the NBA championship on my birthday. Now that was a present to remember…….That was one of the showtime teams….
Because the owners would have to open up their books to verify their allegations about how much money they are “losing”. All the different income sources they have. All the “write offs” they are taking. And how much their franchises are increasing in value. Some of the long term owners have seen an astronomical increase in their investment. From millions to billions!
Not sure a blood bath is coming with the next CBA. I see this (2020 season) as an isolated incident. IF fans were able to attend games then this season would already be under way.
But when 20-25% of the owners state that they lose more money by playing any number of games than not playing at all that is a problem.
To solve that delimma they are asking the players to take a 20% paycut. The average baseball salary is approx $4.4 million. Assuming an 81 game schedule, players choices are $2.2 million(full pay), $1.76 million(80% pay) or $0 (no season, no pay). Most all of the time, I’m with the players. But not this time. I get that the players do not like playing in empty stadiums but that is not the owners doing.
Even the NBA players are taking a pay cut and willing to play in empty arenas.
IMO, this is on the players.
The owners and players work for us. It’s our money that flows into their pockets. What if we decided to strike in the 21 season. Time for some payback!
Considering that Anu, Bibee and Cook can go back to school I would think our best shot would be Jensen. He sounds kind of interesting. Wouldn’t at all mind seeing us sign him. Hopefully he doesn’t want to play at home. He’s from Arizona.
Undrafted free agents can begin to sign on Sunday beginning at 6:00 AM PT.
Per Jonathan Mayo, here are 10 undrafted free agents to watch for.
https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mlb-non-drafted-free-agents
Four players seem like they can be ripe for AF and BG.
1. Oraj Anu- OF Kentucky (Jr) – You know Marty Lamb has him fully scouted. And three from Southern California that might want to stay home.
2. Tanner Bibbee – RHP Cal St. Fullerton (Jr)
3. Billy Cook – OF Pepperdine (Jr)
4. Wil Jensen – RHP Pepperdine (Sr)
STB & Badger: Thank you for your responses to my inquiry two posts ago about why would players sign for $20k. You have made more sense of it than I was able to make.
I remain really skeptical that many with any other viable option will sign, unless teams are allowed to add significant perks.
I guess we shall see.
Thanks again.
Who loses more if the baseball season is over? The players, the owners or the fans?
Turner broadcasting and MLB reach a 1 billion dollar agreement for the rights to the LCS. Agreement takes effect after the 2021 season. Just can’t imagine that the owners can convince the players that they are facing poverty…
FiveThirtyEight has an interesting article now about whether baseball fans will be permanently alienated by the current owner-player dispute over money. Based on historical data, in the short-term, yes, but in the long-term, no.
Nice article Harold! I’m looking forward to following him progress through the system once MILB begins playing again.
For the record, I love beets and sauerkraut. Don’t care for radishes and I hate brussels sprouts (unless they are absolutely smothered wit garlic and wrapped in bacon, then and only then, I can tolerate them).
Sounds like the kid is a project to me. He has Cartaya and Ruiz in front of him. Not to mention Smith. But the way this year is going, who knows what the future holds. It is always fun to speculate and wonder how these kids will fare. But right now, the future of the game is in serious doubt. Manfred can impose a shortened season. Just how long that would be is anyone’s guess. Some have surmised, a 48 game season, which seems hardly worth playing…. I don’t assume one is Russian simply because they like beets there Harold, but they are the main ingredient in Borscht. One of the Ruskies favorite meals. Just never acquired a taste for them. I am German-Irish my self, with a few others thrown in as well. Just really dislike veggies. Beets and Booze……kinda catchy….
Harold’s comment today:
“Virginia Tech catcher Carson Taylor with the No. 130 overall pick was selected in the fourth round on Thursday night. I expect his selection caught many of us off guard as the Dodger minor league system is quite well stacked with catchers.”
I made a similar comment the day after the draft about the Giants drafting Patrick Bailey, a catcher, with the 13th pick:
“maybe the Giants drafted the best player available but adding another catcher to the mix has me scratching my old bald head.”
That drew the following comments:
Badger
June 11, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Best player available, regardless of position, is an investment in asset accumulation. A first round catcher can be used later in a number of ways.
Bobby
June 11, 2020 at 3:10 pm
Yup. This isn’ the NFL where you generally draft for immediate need and fit. This is baseball where the vast majority of yesterday’s 40 players taken won’t even see the bigs until 2022-2023 earliest.
2 different takes on the same draft selections. Here’s my question – were the Giants convinced that Bailey was the best player available at #14. I guess they were. Not me.
I guess the Dodgers though Carson Taylor was the best pick at #130 despite being a catcher in an organization loaded with catching. And maybe the Dodgers can afford a stretch in round 4.
That makes more sense to me than the Giants first rounder but I’m not a fan of drafting a player early with the idea of developing him into trade bait. Players obviously get traded but that would not be my thought on draft day.
am i wrong? Beets me.
Sorry DBM, if you’re going to speak that way about beets I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to leave. 🙂
Nice write-up, DC. Always enjoy them. By now you should have enough material for a book that would sell well, I think. Carson Taylor sounds like a very good requisition for the Dodgers. Can always use catchers, especially switch hitting ones. PS, I may not like beets but love almost all other veggies. With Mark on radishes though.
Thanks for the great write-up, Harold! Really nice to have such an in-depth profile of Carson as a person. I don’t know where you found this great, insightful material about someone who wasn’t a high pick, but I’m glad you did. I am very curious how the Dodgers evaluate prospective picks for the psychological intangibles. I suspect they have psychologists screening possible selections. They don’t leave anything else to chance, so they must have a systematic way of evaluating player “make-up.” I’ve looked around for information about this, but couldn’t find anything online. Lots of stuff about sports psychology online, of course, but no article about how teams evaluate the intangibles. Character makes a difference, we all know. Curious if any of you know something about how the Dodgers do it!
Here is a good fruit recipe although I put way less sugar in it.
https://www.vitamix.com/us/en_us/recipes/whole-fruit-margarita
I was going to get involved in the veggie discussion since I grow just about everything in our garden which measures about 70’x70′. We like beets and especially pickled beets so Bear will think I am Russian. Not far from it Bear – German heritage.
Carson Taylor sounds like a fine young man who could have folded under his adversities but simply learned from them and grew stronger. I always like switch hitters, especially catchers. Of course I am partial to catchers anyway.
I am sure that AF expects it is going to take at least slot value for Bobby Miller, and above slot for Clayton Beeter and Jake Vogel. Billy Gasparino needed some picks that could potentially add value and also provide bonus relief. Thus Landon Knack, Gavin Stone, and Carson Taylor. The Dodger lost Connor Wong and Jair Camargo, both defensively diverse catchers, and needed to fill that spot. Had I been asked by Gasparino, I might have added my non-educated selection of either Louisville OF Zach Britton or Notre Dame RHRP, Joe Boyle, both taken in the 5th round. But I am going to defer to the experts here. Carson Taylor in the 4th round was a perfect selection. He is in the mold of Austin Barnes, Will Smith, and Connor Wong (now with Boston). And he is a switch hitter to boot. IMO, a very forward thinking selection.
With only five rounds, I would expect the drafted players to get pushed a little more quickly. I can see Carson going to Arizona for workouts to finish 2020, and start 2021 at Great Lakes. with Diego Cartaya and Ramon Rodriguez. I like Gersel Pitre, but I think he becomes the emergency catcher and utility corner infield and corner outfield player. Pitre will also be turning 24 in July. Hunter Feduccia has already moved on to Rancho Cucumonga, and he just turned 23. I also expect to see Cartaya get a peek at Rancho in 2021.
Fantastic write up, Harold.
I apologize for interrupting the Beets and Booze Hour.