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Taylor was promoted from High-A Bowling Green to Double-A Montgomery on Tuesday.
The only real knock on Taylor is that he was old (22) for the level (High-A) he was at prior to this promotion. Taylor, the No. 19 overall pick in 2023, slashed .271/.391/.516 with 14 home runs, 26 steals and a 24.4 percent strikeout rate in 83 games for the Hot Rods. He saw 41 starts at shortstop, 31 starts at third base and six starts at the keystone. Third base is his most likely long-term home.
Taylor is slashing .253/.421/.440 with three home runs and nine steals in 27 games for High-A Bowling Green.
The Rays' first-round pick in last year's draft, Taylor has been at least 40 percent better than the average hitter in each league he has played in thus far. He has shown a very patient approach, with a 26.4 percent strikeout rate and a 23.1 percent walk rate. Taylor has an excellent batted-ball profile, with a 23.7 percent groundball rate, 7.1 percent infield-flyball rate, 21.3 percent Oppo% and a 36.1 percent hard-hit rate. In other words, he's hitting the ball hard and in the air with great frequency. Taylor has started 16 games at shortstop and 11 games at third base, and he should be able to move around the diamond as needed.
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