Chris Taylor

At 33 years old, Chris Taylor has this physical status:

Christopher Armand Taylor Jr. (born August 29, 1990) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

He played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Taylor was selected in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB draft and made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2014.

Early life

Taylor attended Great Neck Middle School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he was on the wrestling team and won a city wrestling championship. He shifted his attention away from wrestling to baseball when he attended Frank W. Cox High School, which was also in Virginia Beach. In 2009, he was named the All-Tidewater region player of the year.

Taylor was invited to play college baseball by the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary. He enrolled in Virginia and played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team, which was in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Taylor limited himself in his freshman year as Tyler Cannon, an All-ACC shortstop, received the bulk of the playing time. He competed for the Newport Gulls of the NECBL in the summer of 2010. Stephen Bruno was named the Cavaliers' starting shortstop at the start of the season, and Taylor started the year as the team's right fielder. Taylor was the starting shortstop after Bruno suffered from a hamstring injury and recovered. In 2011, he was out on second and third singles to score the tying and winning runs in the Charlottesville Super Regional's pivotal game against UC Irvine, sending the Cavaliers to the College World Series. He played in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2011.

Personal life

Chris Sr. and Armand's grandfather, Armand, both attended Virginia Tech, where they competed on the wrestling team.

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Professional career

In the fifth round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, the Seattle Mariners selected Taylor. He began his minor league baseball at the Rookie level, but was soon promoted to Class A, mainly playing shortstop. Taylor spent 2013 with the High Desert Mavericks of the Class A-Advanced California League and Jackson Generals of the Class A-Advanced Southern League, scoring 108 runs, 60 runs batted in (RBIs), and 38 stolen bases while playing shortstop and second base. Taylor was drafted by the Mariners to the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League, making him their year-end minor league player of the year. With Peoria, he hit.294 and had a.351 on-base percentage, while playing second base and shortstop.

In 2014, the Mariners welcomed Taylor to spring training. He was assigned to the Tacoma Rainers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League in spring training (PCL). He appeared in the Triple-A All-Star Game and was named PCL's Top Star. Taylor, who was batting.328 with five home runs, 37 RBIs, and 63 runs scored in 75 games while playing shortstop and second base, was promoted to the major leagues on July 24 to replace Willie Bloomquist, who was on the 15-day disabled list, where he played shortstop, second base, and third base. He hit the Baltimore Orioles in a single day for his first major-league hit, a single one.

Taylor fractured his wrist during spring training in 2015 when he was struck by a pitch. After recovering from his injury, he began playing shortstop and second base with AAA Tacoma. He'll be back to Tacoma later this year, but RHP Mayckol Guaype was called up. He batted.220/.223 in 94 at bats, with no home runs and one RBI in 94 at bats, while playing shortstop, second base, and third base. Chris was called from AAA Tacoma on May 21, 2016 to replace the injured Ketel Marte.

Taylor was traded by the Mariners to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Zach Lee on June 19, 2016. Jerry Dipoto, the Seattle Mariners' General Manager, would later regret making this trade by saying it was "clearly the worst offer I've ever made."

Taylor played his first major league home run, a grand slam, off Silvino Bracho of the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 15, 2016. He also had a triple, tripled, and ran in six runs, but just shy of hitting for the cycle. He was the third Dodgers player to have at least six RBIs in a game (Billy Herman in 1947 and Jackie Robinson in 1949). He appeared in 34 games for the Dodgers in 2016, batting.207/.258/362 with one home run and 7 RBIs, mainly playing shortstop.

Taylor did not make the team out of spring training in 2017, and was sent to Oklahoma City to begin the season, for whom he batted.233/.427/.442 with one home run and 5 RBIs in 43 at bats. On April 19, he was recalled to the Dodgers. Taylor won the game 5-4 on July 6, against the Arizona Diamondbacks for his first career walk-off hit, driving in Logan Forsythe. He batted.388/.496 in 514 at bats, splitting time between center field, left field, shortstop, and third base for the 2017 season.

Taylor played his first postseason home run in Game 1 of the 2017 National League Championship Series (NLCS). Taylor and Justin Turner were selected co-MVPs of the NLCS. Taylor hit a home run on the first pitch by Astros' pitcher Dallas Keuchel on October 24, the first game of the 2017 World Series. Taylor reached.254 with three home runs and seven RBI in 15 games in the 2017 post-season as the Dodgers controversially lost the World Series in seven games.

Taylor led the National League with 178 strikeouts in his third season with the Dodgers. He set a record in games played (155), runs scored (85), triples (35), and walks (55). Taylor spent the majority of the season at shortstop, with teammate Corey Seager out for the majority of the season due to a right UCL strain and Tommy John Surgery. He also played center field (50 games, 32 starts), left field (24 games, 18 starts), second base (12 games, 5 starts), and third base (12 games, 3 starts). Taylor was selected to represent MLB in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series on September 10, 2018. Taylor had only one bat in four at-bats in the 2018 NLDS, but his hit was a homer. He had eight hits in 22 at-bats and in the 2018 World Series, he had two hits in 18 at-bats.

Taylor returned to his service role in 2019, playing in 124 games (including 39 at shortstop during another time when Seager was on the injured list). He hit.262/.462 with 12 home runs and 52 RBIs, as well as 115 strikeouts in 366 at bats.

Taylor has signed a two-year, $13.4 million contract extension with the Dodgers, avoiding wage arbitration. Taylor was the Dodgers' primary second baseman in 56 of the team's 60 games, but his batting average was.270/.476 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs. He was hitless in eight at-bats in the Wild Card Series, and the World Series had five hits, including a home run, in 23 at-bats. Taylor received his first championship ring when the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4–2 to win their first championship since 1988.

Taylor was selected to represent the Dodgers at the All-Star Game, his first All-Star appearance. He batted.254/.338/.438 in 148 games during the regular season, with 20 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.

Taylor's National League Wild Card game against the St. Louis Cardinals on October 6, 2021, was two-out, two-run, walk-off home run. Taylor earned three home runs against the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the NLCS on October 21, 2021, becoming the first player in MLB history to reach three home runs in an elimination game.

Taylor re-signed with the Dodgers on December 1 for a four-year deal worth $60 million, which also included a fifth year's option.

Taylor played in 118 games for the he Dodgers (1922, the majority of which were in outfield), and he batted.221 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs.

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