Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor

32-Year-Old OutfielderOF
Minnesota Twins
2023 Fantasy Outlook
A strong defender in center field, Taylor saw a regular role with the Royals, but will move to a backup role with the Twins. He could still get a significant number of starts in center field behind injury-prone Byron Buxton, however. He posted a .254 batting average in 2022, but it came with the lowest ISO (.103) of his career. He continued to cut down strikeouts (23.9 percent) and increase walks (7.8 percent). Taylor's sprint speed remained high last year, ranking in the 86th percentile at 28.7 feet/second, but he turned that into only four stolen bases on six attempts. If the lack of steals remains, his hitting profile makes Taylor a rather uninspiring veteran outfielder for fantasy purposes. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#597
ADP
$Signed a two-year, $9 million contract extension with the Royals in September of 2021. Traded to the Twins in January of 2023.
Could get more starts early in season
OFMinnesota Twins
March 21, 2023
Taylor could get more playing time early in the season with manager Rocco Baldelli saying Byron Buxton will primarily be used at DH initially, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Taylor, Nick Gordon and Joey Gallo could all be used in center field based on matchups, but Taylor (a former Gold Glove winner) offers the best defense of the trio. Buxton underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in late September, and the Twins are being very careful about easing him into action this spring. Buxton could spend the first month or more mostly playing DH. Taylor is hitting .229 (8-for-35) with a home run this spring.
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Batting Stats
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2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2022 MLB Game Log
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2021 MLB Game Log
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2020 MLB Game Log
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2019 MLB Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
vs Right-Handed Pitchers
vs RHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
2
16
11
17
27
4
vs Left-Handed Pitchers
vs LHP
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
2
2
4
5
8
12
3
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2020
 
 
+13%
OPS vs LHP
2022
 
 
+1%
OPS vs LHP
2021
 
 
+27%
OPS vs LHP
2020
 
 
+7%
OPS vs LHP
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2020vs Left .724 318 42 10 38 4 .260 .320 .405
Since 2020vs Right .638 761 75 16 75 14 .238 .291 .347
2022vs Left .675 135 20 4 13 0 .238 .306 .369
2022vs Right .668 321 29 5 30 4 .260 .316 .353
2021vs Left .769 152 16 4 21 4 .295 .344 .424
2021vs Right .606 376 42 8 33 10 .224 .277 .328
2020vs Left .722 31 6 2 4 0 .179 .258 .464
2020vs Right .676 64 4 3 12 0 .213 .250 .426
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2020
 
 
+9%
OPS at Home
2022
 
 
+24%
OPS at Home
2021
Even Split
2020
 
 
+4%
OPS on Road
OPS PA R HR RBI SB AVG OBP SLG
Since 2020Home .693 540 58 15 67 7 .258 .308 .385
Since 2020Away .636 527 58 11 45 11 .232 .292 .344
2022Home .741 228 26 6 27 1 .288 .342 .399
2022Away .599 228 23 3 16 3 .218 .283 .316
2021Home .652 275 29 7 34 6 .241 .288 .364
2021Away .653 253 29 5 20 8 .248 .306 .348
2020Home .700 37 3 2 6 0 .200 .243 .457
2020Away .726 46 6 3 9 0 .209 .261 .465
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Stat Review
How does Michael Taylor compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • BB/K
    Walk to strikeout ratio
  • BB Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a walk.
  • K Rate
    The percentage of plate appearances resulting in a strikeout.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many of a batter’s balls in play go for hits.
  • ISO
    Isolated Power. Slugging percentage minus batting average. A computation used to measure a batter's raw power.
  • AVG
    Batting average. Hits divided by at bats.
  • OBP
    On Base Percentage. A measure of how often a batters reaches base. Roughly equal to number of times on base divided by plate appearances.
  • SLG
    Slugging Percentage. A measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats.
  • OPS
    On base plus slugging. THe sum of a batter's on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
  • wOBA
    Weighted on-base average. Measures a player's overall offensive contributions per plate appearance. wOBA combines all the different aspects of hitting into one metric, weighting each of them in proportion to their actual run value.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Hard Hit Rate
    A measure of contact quality from Sports Info Solutions. This stat explains what percentage of batted balls were hit hard vs. medium or soft.
  • Barrels/PA
    The percentage of plate appearances where a batter had a batted ball classified as a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Expected BA
    Expected Batting Average.
  • Expected SLG
    Expected Slugging Percentage.
  • Sprint Speed
    The speed of a runner from home to first, in feet per second.
  • Ground Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are on the ground.
  • Line Drive %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are line drives.
  • Fly Ball %
    The percentage of balls put in play that are fly balls.
BB/K
0.32
 
BB Rate
7.7%
 
K Rate
23.9%
 
BABIP
.321
 
ISO
.104
 
AVG
.254
 
OBP
.313
 
SLG
.357
 
OPS
.670
 
wOBA
.299
 
Exit Velocity
86.3 mph
 
Hard Hit Rate
31.3%
 
Barrels/PA
4.6%
 
Expected BA
.223
 
Expected SLG
.358
 
Sprint Speed
24.1 ft/sec
 
Ground Ball %
40.9%
 
Line Drive %
17.6%
 
Fly Ball %
41.5%
 
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
Taylor was a streaming option in 15-team leagues in 2021. He didn't give a fantasy manager truly "plus" production, but he didn't put up zeros either. And he might have stolen a base or two that week you streamed him. His 14 stolen bases (21 attempts) ranked 40th in the league, so those are fine, but the rest of his profile can easily be replaced. He had fewer than 60 runs and fewer than 60 RBI. He should probably sit against righties (.658 OPS for his career, .606 OPS in 2021) but the Royals aren't really into platoons. His .244 batting average was higher than his career mark (.239), but still a fantasy drag. How about some positives? Taylor's Gold Glove defense keeps him in the field. His 27.3 K% tied for a career low. While there are situations where he's fine for a weekly add, make sure it is just for a week and move on.
Taylor finished with a sub .200 batting average in 2020 for the first time in his big-league career. He slashed .196/.253/.424 with five home runs and 16 RBI in 38 games. The speedster swiped 24 bases during the 2018 campaign, a career-best, but he's registered just six total stolen bases since, in large part because he can't find ways to reach first base. The 29-year-old finished with a K% of 27.3, hammering it home to fantasy owners that he's simply a strikeout waiting to happen. Taylor became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2020 season, and it seems unlikely that he'll find a role as anything but a reserve outfielder unless he joins a team in rebuild mode. There's no doubt that his speed can be appealing to some degree, but he's a liability in nearly all other offensive categories.
Taylor's sprint speed is in the 93rd percentile league-wide. The issue is he is not permitted to steal first base by league rules, so he is forced to use his bat to reach base. He does not have a good hit tool, and does not walk enough because he is very prone to strikeouts. He has a .240/.294/.393 career slash line with a 31.6 K%. His role at the big-league level these days is someone who can be a reserve outfielder for a World Series winner, but could only get regular playing time on a team looking to fill a roster spot while waiting for a prospect to be ready. In a single-league format, Taylor could be drafted in the reserves if your regular roster is hurting for speed, but if you have to have him in your lineup, those steals are going to come at the cost of all other categories.
Taylor's 2017 power surge appears to be an outlier as not only did he fall back last season, he bottomed out. The 2017 home-run spike was a combination of a career-best 20% HR/FB mark coupled with a seven percent increase in flyball rate. Both plummeted last year. Taylor's plate skills have been stagnant since his 2015 campaign. While 2018's 30% K% and 7.5% BB% both represented marginal improvements, it was not enough to be deemed a new level. The bottom line is his approach isn't acceptable for a full-time player. Entering his age-28 season, it's unlikely Taylor makes major strides in either department, so he remains a batting-average liability. An area where Taylor did exhibit growth was on the basepaths, as he swiped 24 bags, setting a new personal best. With the return of Adam Eaton and the emergence of Victor Robles, Taylor is earmarked for reserve duty.
For the third straight season, Taylor provided fantasy owners with cheap power and speed, but this time he reached new heights while playing regularly in place of Adam Eaton (knee). Taylor's swing-and-miss ways (31.8 career strikeout percentage) will limit what he can offer in terms of batting average -- he probably will struggle to top his .271 mark from last year, although he makes the most of his limited contact (34 percent hard contact rate, 20.0 percent HR/FB last season). With their optimal Opening Day lineup, the Nationals likely will want Taylor in center field. After all, he ranked sixth in the majors with a 10.1 UZR., but with Eaton returning and top prospect Victor Robles looming, Taylor will have a limited margin for error.
Strikeouts have been the story for Taylor since he broke into the league in 2014. He has struck out over 30 percent of the time in each of the last three seasons, with 32.5 percent of his 237 plate appearances in 2016 ending in a strikeout. The young outfielder also spent time with Triple-A Syracuse in 2016, where he hit just .205 in 130 plate appearances across 31 games. Taylor hit .313 over 98 games and 441 plate appearances with Double-A Harrisburg back in 2014, but he hasn't hit nearly that well since. He's a very strong defensive outfielder, however, which gives him value to the Nats, and that was one reason they kept him on the roster going into the postseason. Taylor should get another shot at a big league spot in 2017. If he can improve his average and contact rate, it would go a long way toward improving his fantasy value.
The potential for a 20/20 season will always be there with Taylor. He has plus speed, going 16-for-19 on stolen base attempts last season, and fringe average raw power, hitting 14 homers in 511 plate appearances. The lanky center fielder hit 22 home runs and stole 34 bases in 441 plate appearances at Double-A back in 2014, so his big league totals in 2015 probably represent more of a floor than a ceiling over a full season. That said, his path was blocked with the acquisition of Ben Revere in January, and he may not stick as an everyday player long-term if he cannot get on base with more consistency. His plus defense in center and toolsy profile should afford him a decent number opportunities even if he does open the year as the team's fourth outfielder, but improvements in his approach and contact skills are probably necessary for him to be seen as the long-term solution up the middle in the nation’s capital.
Just as Brian Goodwin did the year before, Taylor turned in a Double-A performance in 2014 that launched him to the top of the Nationals' position player prospect list. Unlike Goodwin, Taylor put together an actually impressive statistical season rather than one that only looked good in comparison to his previous output, hitting .313/.396/.539 with 22 home runs and 34 steals. His strikeout rate also spiked, though, and that empty air in his swing came back to haunt him in brief stops at Triple-A and the majors. Now established as the Nats' center fielder of the future, the 24-year-old will need to find a way to make more consistent contact if he wants to fully realize his five-tool potential. With Denard Span expected to miss all of April following spring core muscle repair surgery, Taylor has a chance to begin the season in a prominent role for the Nats as the team's primary center fielder, although he could end up back at Triple-A once Span is healthy if the Nats want to continue his development with everyday at-bats.
Taylor's 51 steals in 58 attempts at High-A jump off the page, but he is more than just a one-dimensional speedster. The outfielder is still rough around the edges, so how he responds to the Double-A challenge this season will provide a much better idea of how close to the majors he actually is. If some of the 41 doubles he hit last year become home runs, and some of his strikeouts become walks and singles, Taylor will leap up prospect lists in a hurry.
More Fantasy News
Traded to Minnesota
OFMinnesota Twins
January 23, 2023
Taylor was traded Wednesday from the Royals to the Twins, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. In return, the Royals will receive left-handed pitching prospect Evan Sisk and right-hander Steven Cruz.
ANALYSIS
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Still not starting
OFKansas City Royals
October 5, 2022
Taylor isn't in the lineup Wednesday against Cleveland.
ANALYSIS
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Riding pine
OFKansas City Royals
October 4, 2022
Taylor is not in Tuesday's lineup against the Guardians.
ANALYSIS
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Retreats to bench Saturday
OFKansas City Royals
October 1, 2022
Taylor isn't starting Saturday against Cleveland.
ANALYSIS
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On bench Wednesday
OFKansas City Royals
September 28, 2022
Taylor isn't starting Wednesday against Detroit.
ANALYSIS
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