Tommy Taylor (minors 01)

Thomas Antonio Taylor

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
• High School Louisa County High School

• Born July 16, 1970 in Charlottesville, VA USA

BR minors page

Biographical information

Tommy Taylor pitched for 15 seasons in the minor leagues. His career took him to Canada, Mexico and Taiwan in addition to his native US.

Baltimore organization

Taylor went 7-1 with a 1.15 ERA as a high school senior. He was a second-round pick of the Baltimore Orioles in the 1988 amateur draft (the 33rd overall selection); the choice was compensation for the loss of Tom Niedenfuer to free agency. He went one pick before fellow high school pitcher Chris Roberts. Tommy had a rough transition to pro ball, going 1-3 with a 6.48 ERA and 2.04 WHIP for the Bluefield Orioles in '89. He was not too bad by his team's standards, as Bluefield had a bloated ERA of 5.95. Tommy was 3-11 with a 5.27 ERA for the 1990 Wausau Timbers, tying for 7th in the Midwest League in losses and walking 62 in 111 innings.

Staying in the MWL in 1991, with the Kane County Cougars, the right-hander put up nearly identical numbers (4-11, 5.23, 54 BB in 96 1/3 IP). He split 1992 between the Frederick Keys (4-8, 4.18) and Hagerstown Suns (1 R in 2/3 IP). He made it to AA with the 1993 Bowie Baysox; primarily a reliever now, he was 4-7 with four saves and a a 5.62 ERA. He began 1994 back down in Frederick and looked similar to his '92 performance there (4-1, 2 Sv, 4.36). Baltimore let the former high draft pick go before year's end.

Cleveland farm system

Taylor was signed by the Cleveland Indians and had a 3.14 ERA in three late-season starts for the 1994 Kinston Indians. He was a replacement player during the 1995 strike then opened 1995 with the Canton-Akron Indians but only got into five relief outings (1-1, 3.72, 6 BB in 9 2/3 IP).

Independent leagues and one look with the Brewers chain

Taylor wrapped up 1995 with the Amarillo Dillas (0-3, 4.97) and Regina Cyclones (1-3, 4.88) of the new independent leagues. He split 1996 between the Milwaukee Brewers' El Paso Diablos (2-1, 4.67, 20 K in 17 1/3 IP) and the Regina Cyclones (4-1, 2.53). In his 8th professional season, he had finally topped the 5-win plateau. Back with Regina in 1997, Tommy was outstanding - 6-2, 1.65. He was named the Prairie League All-Star relief pitcher.

Taiwan and Mexico

Taylor came to the Taiwan Major League in 1997 and appeared in 12 games for the Taipei Gida (1-1, 2 Sv, 4.29). In '98, he was 2-3 with two saves and a 4.38 ERA in 13 games for the Taichung Agan, walking 24 in 37 innings. He pitched six games for the Torreon Cotton Dealers of the Mexican League that year, walking 10 and allowing eight runs in 7 innings. He lost his sole decision.

Independent leagues again=

Taylor also spent part of 1998 with the Nashua Pride, going 1-1 with a save and a 3.38 ERA, walking 7 and striking out 16 in 13 1/3 innings. In 1999, he pitched for the Massachusetts Mad Dogs (0-4, 10.87, 2.09 WHIP) and Les Capitales de Québec (4-1, 3.15). His whereabouts for 2000 are unclear. In '01, he went 3-3 with a 5.71 ERA for the Atlantic City Surf, starting a four-year run in the Atlantic League which ended his career.

In 2002, Taylor went 2-1 with a 2.39 ERA in 12 games for the Nashua Pride. Returning to Nashua in '03, he won a career-high 8 games. He also lost 7 and saved four in his 35 outings (9 starts). His control had improved, as he walked only 23 in 85 2/3 innings. His ERA for the season was 4.31. The Virginia native wrapped up in 2004 with the Newark Bears at 2-4, 5.49.

Career totals

Taylor was 57-78 in 360 outings in professional baseball. While he never achieved what one might hope for the 33rd pick of the amateur draft, he was able to hold down a job in baseball for 15 years.

Sources

• 1990-2005 Baseball Almanacs
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• Greatest 21 Days blog
• Chinese Wiki Baseball
• Howe Sports Data