Tyrone Taylor came into the 2015 season with some much-deserved hype in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. That hype turned to disappointment as the outfielder struggled in the first half of his season with the Double-A Biloxi Shuckers. But when the spotlight dimmed, Taylor’s talents didn’t and he’s experiencing a resurgence in the second half with the Shuckers.
“It’s been a tougher year for me in general,” Taylor said. “I’m just trying to grind it out and stay positive, keep working hard and get better every day. We won the first half and it was a real exciting time for us. We’re just trying to stay consistent in the second half. We have to keep playing hard and see where it takes us.”
It’s already taken the Shuckers to the Southern League postseason thanks to a first-half title. And while Biloxi hasn’t performed as well as a team in the second half, Taylor is just now hitting his groove. The 21-year-old from Torrance, Calif. is batting .300 in his last 10 games and has pushed his season average up to .262.
“I think I’ve improved on the mental side,” Taylor said. “I need to work on my approach at the plate and start to feel comfortable up there. I want to keep things going as a team and hopefully win a championship. I want to do anything to help my team.”
Taylor came into the season as the Brewer’s No. 2 ranked prospect behind only shortstop Orlando Arcia. With the big league Brewers sitting at the bottom of the National League Central standings, attention has turned to the future and the minor league stars. Taylor has tried to ignore it.
Congratulations to @_Heavy28Hitter_ who was named as @SLeagueBaseball's most recent Player of the Week!
— The Brewer Nation (@BrewerNation) July 27, 2015
“Nobody put any pressure on me,” Taylor said. “Nobody talks about it in the clubhouse. It’s easy just to go out there and play baseball. You see those things, but you can’t really think about them when you’re out there playing. When you’re on the field everybody’s the same. We all have the same goals. You just have to play the game, work hard and do what you do.”
With Taylor just now rising out of his funk, it’s not likely he’ll be moved up this season barring injuries at the Tripl-A or Major League level and that’s good. The outfielder probably needs another full half-season in Double-A before he’s ready to become a factor in the Brewers’ future plans. Since he was a second-round pick in 2012, there’s no need to be in a hurry and it’s not like he can single-handedly help Milwaukee win 30 games.
I'm still waiting for #Brewers Tyrone Taylor to take off this year. Talent is there. Very impressive tho- nearly 10/1 K/at-bat ratio
— FantasyBaseballHero (@fantasybbhero) July 20, 2015
Prospect Watch
The aforementioned Arcia has been on a different trajectory than Taylor lately, hitting just .125 in his last 10 games. It’s not been too much of a disaster though, seeing as how it’s only now caused his batting average to dip below .300. Acia, the No. 1 Brewers prospect, has lived up to his billing on offense and defense, with a .980 fielding percentage with just eight errors all season. And while that may not seem like an outstanding number on the outside, this is the same guy that committed 23 errors in Low-A ball just two seasons ago. In High-A last year he had 20. So eight, for Arcia, is a milestone.
First baseman Nick Ramirez has brought the power, if not the discipline to the plate for the Shuckers this season. He has 13 home runs, 19 doubles and 59 RBIs, but is hitting .260 with 90 strikeouts.
Jorge Lopez is finding a way to get the job done on the mound for Biloxi. He’s currently 9-4 with a 2.72 ERA. That record is even more impressive when you see that Lopez has pitched in 18 games total, meaning he’s won a full half of his starts.
Damien Magnifico has done justice to his last name as the Shuckers’ closer this season, picking up 12 saves to go along with his 1.38 ERA.
