Robert Taylor (minors08)

Robert P. Taylor
(Bob, Peabod)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 5' 10", Weight 162 lb.

• Born September 24, 1945

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Robert Taylor played four seasons of minor league ball as an outfielder. He got his start in the Western Carolinas League with the Milwaukee affiliated Greenville Braves in 1964. He hit .246/.296/.297 in 127 games for Greenville and stole 35 bases in 49 tries. He led the Western Carolinas League in steals (11 ahead of Danny DiPace), times caught stealing, outfield putouts (268) and outfield fielding percentage (.956).

Bob spent the next two seasons being shared by the Reds and Cards. He hit .266/.363/.383 for the 1965 Rock Hill Cardinals and swiped 40 more bases while only being caught 7 times. He tied Cesar Gutierrez for second in the WCL in steals. His defense was not nearly as sharp, though, as he fielded only .921. He split 1966 between Tampa (2 for 36) and two Florida State League teams, Tampa, and St. Petersburg (hitting a combined .254/.352/.284 while playing mainly 1B and only going 5-for-11 in steal attempts). In 1966, under manager Sparky Anderson, Taylor played in all 29 innings of the longest professional baseball game in history against the Miami Marlins. This record would later be eclipsed. Bob wound up his career with the Gastonia Pirates in 1967, going 6 for 44 with a double, 13 walks and 3 steals.

Baseball-Reference.com lists one more appearance ten years later for the 1977 Charlotte O's. The possibility that this was the same Robert Taylor is enhanced by the fact that Bob did settle in Charlotte after his playing days were over. He played a single game at first base and he went 1 for 4 with an RBI single.

Following his baseball career, Taylor served in the US Marine Corps and later became a sportscaster for 14 years at WBTV in Charlotte. He has recently been writing for the Washington Times on a variety of topics, but most notably on the subject of travel. He has published a book called The Century Club under the pseudonym Peabod. It concerns his quest to visit more than one hundred different countries.

Related Sites

• Brief Washington Times bio
• Facebook page