The Mariners announced that the contract of right-hander Troy Taylor has been selected from Double-A Arkansas. Righty Eduard Bazardo was optioned to Triple-A to create room on the active roster, and no further transaction was required since Seattle had an open space on its 40-man roster.
Taylor was a 12th-round pick in the 2022 draft, and a dominant showing in his second pro season has put the 22-year-old in line for his Major League debut. Over a combined 42 2/3 innings with Double-A Arkansas and high-A Everett, Taylor has a 1.27 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, 8.59% walk rate, and outstanding grounder rates. The performance was impressive enough for the Mariners to add him to the 40-man roster, giving Taylor the nod ahead of other Triple-A arms already on the 40-man.
A full-time reliever in both college ball and in the professional ranks, MLB Pipeline’s scouting report feels Taylor has a “closer’s profile,” while Baseball America feels Taylor “has the stuff to be a mid-leverage reliever with further development.” (BA has Taylor 21st on its list of the top 30 Mariners prospects, while Pipeline has him a bit lower in 23rd.) Both outlets describe Taylor’s slider and fastball as plus pitches, if control can sometimes be an issue since the two pitches both have a lot of movement. Taylor’s fastball sits in the 94-96mph range and he has dial it up to 98mph on occasion.
The M’s aren’t likely to use Taylor in many high-leverage situations right away, given how pitching key innings in a pennant race is a lot to ask of a pitcher in his first exposure to big league hitters. Still, Taylor brings another intriguing arm to an overall solid Mariners bullpen, and Taylor could help make up for the continued injury absence of Gregory Santos.
