Tag: nelly taylor

Nelly Taylor named Red Sox’ Minor League Defensive Player of the Year

Last Thursday, Red Sox outfield prospect Nelly Taylor was named the organization’s 2024 Minor League Defensive Player of the Year. He was honored alongside the club’s seven other minor-league award winners during pre-game festivities at Fenway Park the following night.

Taylor, 21, was Boston’s 11th-round selection in last year’s draft coming out of Polk State College. Even before entering the professional ranks, the Clearwater, Fla. native had already gained notoriety for his glove work by earning 2023 Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Suncoast Conference.

To sway him away from his commitment to transfer to Florida State, the Red Sox gave Taylor an over-slot $300,000 signing bonus last July. The 6-foot, 180-pounder did not make his pro debut until this past April, but he wasted little time in establishing himself as one of the more athletic and toolsy outfielders in the lower levels of Boston’s farm system.

In his first 101 games of the 2024 campaign at Low-A Salem, Taylor made 54 starts in center field, 23 starts in left field, and 16 starts in right field. Between those three spots, he recorded three outfield assists (two in right, one in center) and committed four errors (two in right, one in center, one in left) in 208 total chances. After receiving a late-season promotion to High-A Greenville on August 27, he made five more starts in center field, two more starts in left field, and one start in right field. He did not record an assist or commit an error in 13 chances with the Drive.

To that end, Taylor was named the Red Sox’ Minor League Defensive Player of the Month on two separate occasions (May and August). Back in July, FanGraphs’ Eric Longehnagen described Taylor as “an actual fit in center field,” noting that he “certainly runs well enough to play out there, or at least continue to develop there, though his feel for the position is only fair.”

Taylor, Longenhagen wrote, “has a much better chance to occupy a premium defensive home than some of the more famous hitters in this system.” SoxProspects.com, on the other hand, describes Taylor as an “excellent defender” who possesses “plus speed” and “above-average range” in center field.

Offensively, Taylor batted .228/.336/.358 with 24 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 46 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 60 walks, and 106 strikeouts in 101 games (434 plate appearances) for Salem. The left-handed hitter was riding a hot bat at the time of his promotion and subsequently slashed .289/.341/.553 with two doubles, one triple, two homers, eight RBIs, five runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and 13 strikeouts in 10 games (41 plate appearances) for Greenville to close out his first full pro season.

While a .713 OPS in 111 games (475 plate appearances) between Low-A and High-A may not necessarily jump off the page, Taylor did regularly make hard contact this season. As The Dynasty Dugout’s Chris Clegg wrote last month, “The underlying data shows Taylor can hit the ball hard as he has run a 90th percentile exit velocity near 105 mph, a pretty impressive mark.”

Elsewhere, Taylor’s 33 stolen bases on the year were the third-most among Red Sox minor-leaguers, as only Miguel Bleis (38) and Franklin Arias (35) had more. His 7.7 (out of 10) speed score also ranked first among the 12 Boston farmhands who registered at least 450 plate appearances this season, per FanGraphs.

Taylor, who turns 22 in January, is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 37 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He has a unique story in that he underwent surgery to remove a Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, at just five years old that prevented him from playing contact sports in his youth. As such, he has been tabbed by SoxProspects.com as “a player fans will want to root for” since he “has the work ethic to reach his potential.”

Assuming he remains with the Red Sox through the winter, Taylor is projected to return to Greenville for the start of the 2025 season as part of the Drive’s outfield mix.

(Picture of Nelly Taylor: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote OF prospect Nelly Taylor to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Nelly Taylor from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Ian Cundall and Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com.

Taylor is currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the No. 50 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The athletic 21-year-old is in his first full professional season after being selected in the 11th round of the 2023 draft out of Polk State College (Winter Haven, Fla). He had committed to transfer to Florida State before signing with the Red Sox for $300,000 last July.

In 101 games for Salem this season, Taylor batted .228/.336/.358 with 24 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 46 RBIs, 69 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 60 walks, and 106 strikeouts over 434 plate appearances. While a .694 OPS is far from eye-popping, the left-handed hitter is slashing .302/.408/.476 in August.

Among 52 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Taylor ranks fourth in line-drive rate (27.2 percent), 11th in speed score (7.6), 12th in walk rate (13.8 percent), 20th in swinging-strike rate (11.7 percent), 21st in on-base percentage, 22nd in isolated power (.130), and 26th in slugging percentage and wRC+ (109), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Taylor has drawn encouraging reviews for his defensive prowess in the outfield this season. The 6-foot, 180-pounder saw playing time at all three spots for Salem, though 54 of his 93 non-DH starts came in center. There, he recorded one outfield assist and committed one error in 131 chances. He notched two more outfield assists in right as well.

Taylor, who does not turn 22 until January, has a unique story in that he was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer, when he was just five years old. As he explained to MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith in a wide-ranging profile last September, Taylor had the tumor removed but was unable to play contact sports — such as football — in his youth as a result.

According to his SoxProspects.com scouting report, Taylor is “a player fans will want to root for” since he has “the work ethic to reach his potential.” He is slated to bat fifth and start at DH for Greenville in Tuesday night’s series opener against the Bowling Green Hot Rods.

(Picture of Nelly Taylor: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox select Polk State outfielder Nelly Taylor with 11th-round pick in 2023 MLB Draft

The Red Sox have selected Polk State College (Winter Haven, Fla.) outfielder Nelly Taylor with their 11th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft at No. 328 overall.

Taylor, 20, is Boston’s first Day 3 pick and the first player taken by the club out of a junior college. The left-handed hitting sophomore batted .353/.467/.620 with 19 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 48 RBIs, 46 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 36 walks, and 42 strikeouts in 51 games (229 plate appearances) for Polk State this past season.

On the other side of the ball, Taylor did not commit a single error in 127 total chances in the outfield. Between what he did offensively and defensively, the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder was named a first-team All-Suncoast Conference selection, Suncoast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a second-team All-FCSAA selection, and an FCSAA and Rawlings Gold Glove recipient.

Per MLB Pipeline, “Taylor’s raw tools started to show up more in his second year of junior college as he showed off some of his power-speed combination. He has a quick bat and a loose swing, with long levers that can generate plus raw power. He’s also a plus runner, with the speed and range to play center field, but how much he’ll hit is in question, as his swing can get long at times.”

A native of Clearwater, Taylor faced adversity early in his childhood. At just five years old, he was diagnosed with cancer when doctors found a Wilms tumor on his kidney. He had his kidney removed as a result but has been cancer-free since the age of six.

Though his condition prevented him from playing contact sports growing up, Taylor emerged as a legitimate baseball prospect and is now committed to play at Florida State next year.

If Taylor, who turns 21 in January, elects to go pro as opposed to taking his talents to Tallahassee, the Red Sox can sign him for up to $150,000 without it counting toward their bonus pool.

(Top picture: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)