Taylor is getting a chance to prove that he belongs

By Bill McFarland

Some people have a hard time admitting that they're wrong. I don't because I've never claimed to be an expert at anything — particularly evaluating baseball talent.

During the summer of 1995, I was on assignment for the Phillies Report when the team brought in first-round draftee Reggie Taylor and signed him to a contract. Although Mike Arbuckle, the Phillies' scouting director, spoke very highly of the outfielder's potential, I remember a skinny kid who really looked out of place while taking some hitting practice in the batting cage underneath the stands at Veterans Stadium.

Taylor progressed through the ranks of the organization's farm system with adequate numbers, but he still looked overmatched during September call-ups the last two years. Prior to this season, all he had to show for 18 big-league at-bats was one hit and nine strikeouts.

I never expected him to be with the Phillies this year because it was obvious that he was caught in a numbers game that didn't add up for him, despite having a torrid spring. Doug Glanville was the incumbent in center field, and Double-A sensation Marlon Byrd is the heir apparent.

"I was like the man in the middle," Taylor said. "I knew that something had to give at some point. Glanville was under contract, and they really like Marlon Byrd, so I was the odd man out.

"But at the same time, I think that I opened some eyes and showed them that I can play, too. (After the trade,) I felt that (the Phillies) had given up on me, and that kind of hurt, but there's nothing that I can do to change that."

That scrawny kid was a lousy interview in 1995 because he had no experience dealing with the press, but Taylor has matured in many ways — physically and emotionally — and he impressed me in several areas when we spoke again over the weekend.

Taylor was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds at the end of spring training. He's getting some playing time now that Ken Griffey Jr. is injured, and he's making the most of it.

"You never want to see anybody get hurt, but injuries happen, and then somebody else has to step up," he said.

Taylor has stood up and demonstrated that he is a major-league player. I saw three of the "five tools" that Arbuckle once projected for Taylor. He can run like the wind. He's a fine defensive outfielder, and he has a cannon for a throwing arm.

We'll have to give him some time to see if he can hit major-league pitching consistently. His power numbers during his rise through the system were never great, so that might be one area where he comes up short. But four out of five isn't bad, and one guy is certainly happy with four of those tools.

"He's really upgraded our team," said Cincinnati manager Bob Boone. "He gives us more speed and defense in the outfield, and I think he's a prototypical leadoff hitter. We're going to get an opportunity to find out (what he can do) now that Junior is out of the lineup."

Boone didn't need any reminders from me that the kid has developed tremendously in seven years.

"I saw him in the Arizona Fall League a few years ago, and he's come miles since then," said the manager. "A lot of high-school signees take time (to develop), but he's showed me a lot of patience at the plate, and he looks like he knows how to play the game. I'm very tickled to have him."

Arbuckle knew what he was getting when he selected Taylor. The outfielder speaks highly of his mentor.

"Mike Arbuckle was like a father figure to me," said Taylor. "He took me under his wing when things weren't going well, and he was always there for me. In this game, everybody's on your side when you're winning, but when things aren't going well, that's when you find out who really cares about you, and, for me, that was Mike Arbuckle. I'm just thankful for all that he's done for me.

"When I got drafted, my dream was to play here in Philadelphia, but things change, and the game is still the same between the lines, so I'm happy to be with the Reds."

This column was published on April 17, 2002, in the Northeast Times in Philadelphia, which owns the copyright. It may not be reproduced anywhere else without permission.

Comments?

Visit the Phillies Web site.



Return to home