Chris Taylor

Given Taylor's strong 2021 campaign that included his first All-Star berth, the Dodgers seemed to be getting good value on the four-year, $60 million contract they handed him during the ensuing offseason. However, the versatile veteran performed well below his usual standards in the first year of the deal, finishing with a .677 OPS -- his lowest since becoming a full-time player -- over 118 games. Health certainly played a part in the drop-off, as Taylor battled a variety of injuries (most notably, a fractured foot that kept out nearly all of July) throughout the campaign. The bigger picture, however, is that Taylor struggled mightily to make contact -- both his 39.9 percent whiff rate and 35.2 percent strikeout rate ranked very near the bottom among major-league hitters. The utility man also lost some of his utility last season, as almost all of his time was spent in the outfield and at second base following a 2021 campaign during which he logged double-digit appearances at four different positions, including shortstop and third base. The reduction in positional eligibility along with the offensive struggles will likely have a big impact on Taylor's draft stock heading into 2023; there's still an element of power-speed in his profile, but a bounce-back for a hitter in his early 30s is far from a certainty.

The Swiss army knife of Major League Baseball, Taylor returns to the Dodgers after re-signing with the team ahead of the lockout in December. Taylor is coming off an extremely productive season in which he slashed .254/.344/.438 with 20 homers, 73 RBI, 92 runs scored and 13 stolen bases as the club's super-utility man. He was a first-time All-Star in 2021 on the strength of a .277/.382/.452 line in the first half. The versatility and well-rounded production make Taylor appealing even in shallow mixed leagues where he can sometimes be overlooked given he's not a superstar player. Taylor enters the year with multi-position eligibility (2B/SS/OF) and plenty of playing time on the horizon, especially with the new contract and the subtraction of Corey Seager from the roster.

Taylor saw action at four different positions plus designated hitter during the 2020 campaign and continued to provide plus defense. The 30-year-old entered the season in a downward trend, but he was a lineup fixture during the shortened slate and played in all but four games. Taylor rediscovered the form from his breakout 2016 season with a .270/.366/.476 slash line, eight home runs, 10 doubles, three stolen bases and 32 RBI in 56 games. He also posted the best walk rate (12.3%) of his career. He shouldn't be expected to replicate those numbers in 2021, but an improvement over his sub-.800 OPS from 2018-2019 is reasonable. The Dodgers may give youngster Gavin Lux a look at second base next season, but the potential departures of Justin Turner, Joc Pederson and Enrique Hernandez in free agency should leave Taylor plenty of opportunities as he enters the final year of his contract.

Taylor's 2019 was impacted by a broken arm from a hit-by-pitch that cost him a good chunk of the summer. Prior to that, Taylor was having a solid season with a .261/.334/.452 slash line with eight homers and 20 doubles in nearly 300 PA. He returned in late August and finished the year with similar ratios. A decline in homers and a rise in doubles point to balls not traveling as far, which is concerning given the baseball that was in play last season. Taylor's average exit velocity dropped more than three mph last season, putting him in the bottom seventh percentile overall in that area. He strikes out like a power hitter, but he isn't hitting much like one these days. He is eligible at three positions on draft day, but the statistical decline we've seen from Taylor since his 2017 breakout is beginning to get concerning. Overall, he is still an above-average offensive player, but backsliding.

August was a month Taylor would like to soon forget. The acquisitions of Manny Machado and Brian Dozier ate into his playing time. When on the field, Taylor posted a .185/.272/.321 line with a 35.9 K%. Perhaps there was cause and effect, but he did rebound the final month, slashing .345/.433/.586, albeit it with a 29.9 K%. In fact, over the final three months, Taylor fanned at a 34.1% clip, saved by a .379 BABIP in that span. Over the first three months he registered a 25.7 K% and .320 BABIP. For the season, Taylor’s 29.5 K% was up from 2017’s breakout campaign. His power and speed took a step back as his HR/FB dropped while his stolen-base chances and success rate both dipped. Taylor could return to everyday action, but it’s more likely he settles into a super-utility role as a plus defender at several positions. If Taylor gets regular playing time, his contact woes are a threat to take it away. The ceiling is enticing, but the floor says don’t overpay.

A retooled swing completely changed Taylor's career trajectory; he went from an also-ran utility type to an impact top-of-the-order hitter on a pennant-winning Dodgers club. Taylor worked with an outside consultant to change his bat path and reduce his number of groundballs, and in turn he added six percentage points to his hard-hit rate (to 32.4 percent) and upped his barrel rate from 3.1 barrels per plate appearance to 5.2. Taylor finished with a .361 wOBA and 126 wRC+ in 568 plate appearances, while falling three stolen bases shy of a 20-20 season. He also showed more patience, walking at an 8.8 percent clip, so even if his average falls (25 percent strikeout rate, .361 BABIP), Taylor will have a good chance to stick in the leadoff spot. The 27-year-old has multi-position eligibility and is part of a powerful lineup. This seems like just the beginning of his window of relevance.

Taylor, a former top prospect, was traded to the Dodgers at midseason after failing to carve out a major league role with the Mariners. In L.A., he saw some time backing up Corey Seager at shortstop while also filling in at second and third base. His time with the big league squad was limited though, so most of his production came during his time with Triple-A Oklahoma City where he hit an excellent .368/.438/.544. He still has value as a pre-arbitration player capable of fielding shortstop well, but that isn't exactly a profile with much fantasy appeal. Unfortunately for Taylor, the Dodgers also have Charlie Culberson in the organization, another right-handed hitter that can work as a utility infielder, so the two will likely have to duke it out in spring training for a roster spot.

A broken wrist last spring ended a competition with Brad Miller at shortstop, but when Taylor returned in early May the position was still his for the taking as the Mariners tired of Miller's fielding miscues. Taylor, though, looked baffled at the plate. He batted .159/.221/.206 in 20 games and was back in Triple-A by month's end. He got another chance in July, but again struggled, batting .194/.219/.258 in 17 games before a demotion for good. He fared much better in 83 games at Tacoma, but in the majors his contact rate dropped to 67 percent, his strikeout rose to 30.4% and he posted a poor 5.9% walk rate. Prospect Ketel Marte took over shortstop later in the year, all but ensuring the best Taylor can do in the Mariners' organization is a backup or utility role. Trouble is, Seattle acquired utility man Luis Sardinas in November and returns infielder/outfielder Shawn O'Malley. It's hard to see where Taylor fits, other than waiting in Triple-A for an injury to Marte.

Taylor made his major league debut last season, quickly displacing Brad Miller as the starting shortstop in Seattle. But while Taylor has a better glove than Miller, he doesn't appear to have near the potential with the bat. Taylor doesn't have the power to compensate for the high strikeout rate he carried through the minors. That got even worse after his late-July callup, as he posted a 25.8% strikeout rate in his 136 at-bats with a 73.4% contact rate. His on-base skills took a hit too, as his walk rate was a mere 7.3%. And his seemingly impressive .287 batting average was a product of a .402 BABIP. Of course, a two-month sample size isn't definitive, but Taylor needs to cut his strikeouts and show the patience at the plate he displayed in the minors if he wants to win the starting job over Miller in spring training.

This could prove to be a pivotal year for Taylor, who likely will open at Triple-A Tacoma hoping to show his ceiling is higher than the all-glove utility man he has been pegged as. A 2012 fifth-round pick out of the University of Virginia, Taylor showed excellent patience at the plate last season, drawing 84 walks in 134 games across two minor league stops. At 6-0, 170, he doesn't have the build for much power, which makes his high strikeout rate a problem. He hit well in the Arizona Fall League, but if he is to take the next step, he must make more contact. Taylor has good speed and is excellent on the bases, succeeding on 38-of-43 stolen base attempts last season. In the field, his range at shortstop is described as average to above average depending on the scout, but he has a strong arm and can play second base, too. The Mariners have a backlog of middle infielders, but Taylor will have a chance to prove that he too belongs in the conversation.