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| Chiefs CF Michael Taylor |
Syracuse Chiefs center fielder Michael Taylor’s Triple-A debut began auspiciously enough.
On a deep fly ball to right center, Taylor closed quickly, tracked the ball, and made a smooth catch over his shoulder—until the ball fell out as he went to throw it back in.
The official scorer charged him with an error. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders immediately capitalized to go up, 1-0.
Taylor made his first blunder at the Triple-A level. But for a player who excelled at the Double-A level with the Harrisburg Senators, he knows that rookie mistakes are a larger part of the growing process.
“I think I was just rushing a little bit,” Taylor said. “After I made the catch, I was just thinking about getting the ball in. I tried to make the play a little too quickly.”
Taylor was near the top of the Eastern League in average (.313, sixth), home runs (22, third), and stolen bases (34, fourth).
Power at the plate brought him to Syracuse. But if he showed any nerves after his first-inning gaffe, they were nerves of steel.
Taylor shone at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two walks and a game-winning RBI.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native showed confidence for someone playing in his first Triple-A game. He walked his first time up, working the count and getting on base. Once on, he took a huge lead although he still wound up being forced out at second.
Taylor walked again in the fourth, and singled to left field in the sixth for his first career Triple-A hit. He put his speed on display and stole his first career base on the second pitch of the following at-bat.
The best was yet to come.
In the bottom of the seventh, Taylor hammered a double to left field to bring home the winning run in a 7-6 victory for the Chiefs.
The pressure might have gotten to another 23-year-old, but Taylor refused to succumb to it. No matter the pitch, Taylor approached the game with an ease and a smoothness.
“I was surprised,” Taylor said. “(Scranton pitcher Pat Venditte) had good stuff. His slider was slow. That made (the double) tough to hit.”
Once his bat made contact with the pitch, Taylor still wasn’t sure it’d reach the outfield. As he’d shown all night, however, initial doubts quickly transformed to certainties.
“I was excited,” he said. “I was surprised it got past the left fielder, it looked like it was right at him. The ball had a little topspin on it, I think it took a bad hop. I was definitely excited, and thrilled we got the winning run.”
The Chiefs are clinging to a one-game lead in their division. Stephen Souza, Jr. led Triple-A in batting average (.354) before being called up by the Washington Nationals on Sunday, which is what led to Taylor coming to Syracuse.
Production from Taylor is what the Chiefs need. More than that, his confidence could be infectious.
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