Taylor Harbin

Taylor Kent Harbin

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 171 lb.
• School Clemson University
• High School Travelers Rest High School

• Born February 13, 1986 in Greenville, SC USA

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Taylor Harbin played as high as AAA.

Amateur Career

Harbin hit .348/.374/.593 with 64 runs, 28 doubles, 10 homers and 63 RBI in 65 games as a college freshman. He was named All-Atlantic Coast Conference at second base. He led the ACC in doubles and was second in NCAA Division I, two behind Blake Lalli. He was named a Freshman All-American by Baseball America, picked at 2B; the other infielders were Sean Doolittle, Todd Frazierand Beau Mills. In 2006, he fell a bit, to .319/.361/.520 with 20 doubles, 9 home runs and 54 runs. After his junior year, the Arizona Diamondbacks took him in the 8th round of the 2007 amateur draft. The scout was Howard McCullough.

Minors

Harbin debuted as a pro with the Missoula Osprey and hit a fine .276/.341/.477 with 10 home runs, 42 runs and 42 RBI in 63 games; he also was 3 for 14 with a double for the South Bend Silver Hawks. He lost out on Pioneer League All-Star honors, which went to Eric Farris at 2B. He tied for 10th in the league in homers, led second basemen in putouts (121) and tied for the most errors at second (15, even with Zack Murry). Back with South Bend for all of 2008, he produced at a .276/.314/.414 clip with 40 doubles and 85 RBI. He was second in the Midwest League in doubles (3 behind Jovan Rosa) and second among Dbacks farmhands (to Peter Clifford). In RBI, he was also second in the MWL (14 behind Mitch Moreland) and second among Diamondbacks minor leaguers (after Josh Whitesell). He tied Moreland for second in the MWL in hits behind Engel Beltre.

Moving to shortstop in 2009, he batted .259/.305/.401 with 27 doubles and 14 dingers for the Visalia Oaks while fielding .952. His 550 at-bats led Arizona minor leaguers. He also got into six games for the Reno Aces, going 8 for 21 with 3 doubles, a triple and a walk. With the Mobile Bay Bears the next year, the South Carolina native fell to .259/.306/.376 with 27 doubles as a utility infielder, playing 38-43 games at each 2B, SS and 3B.

In 2011, the Clemson alumnus fielded .969 as Mobile's starting shortstop while hitting .270/.328/.372 and scoring 68 runs. He also pitched two shutout innings. He led Southern League shortstops in fielding percentage (.969) and assists (80). Baseball America named him the best defensive shortstop in the SL. He began 2012 with Reno and was doing well around the half, hitting .313/.338/.444 with 26 doubles after 78 games.

Sources

• 2011 Diamondbacks Media Guide
• The Baseball Cube
• 2006-2012 Baseball Almanacs