Contributor | Kevin Moore
Taylor Trammell got an opportunity to take center stage in centerfield for the Seattle Mariners when a deep bone bruise landed AL Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis on the 10-day IL to start the 2021 season. With Lewis reportedly out two more weeks, Trammell will continue to fill in.
If anything, Trammell’s flashes of potential have Mariners fans envisioning a Soul Patrol for the ages when Lewis returns. The 23-year-old outfielder has belted two home runs in eight games and has a total of five hits.
Though his batting average is below .200 currently, he’s already had some clutch at-bats for the Mariners. It’s clear that his bat has some major pop. The rookie outfielder is not letting his slow start to the season stop him from becoming a player baseball fans should keep their eyes on.
This #MLBbro came into the season as one of baseballs top 100 prospects and now Taylor Trammell has his first big league homer #SeaUsRise #MLBbros https://t.co/FepJTc9Qui
— MLBbro.com (@MLBbrodotcom) April 10, 2021
Trammell’s first major league home run came on April 10, 2021, off of Minnesota Twins pitcher Michael Pineda. He also scored the winning run in extra innings as the Mariners defeated the Twins 4-3.
In an article from The Seattle Times, Trammell talked about how it felt hitting his first home run. “It was great,” Trammell said. “Just to hear (teammates) say, ‘Hey, congratulations, we’re proud of you,’ it means a lot to me because I did grow up watching some of these guys. So to hear them say that meant a lot to me. It was pretty special.”
He made his major league debut on April 1, 2021, and his first big league hit came on April 3rd.
The Georgia native was the 35th pick in the 2016 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds after a stellar high school career. Trammell spent a few years in the Reds farm system and blossomed into a top prospect. In 2018, Trammell represented the Reds in the All-Star Futures Game and was named MVP after hitting a go-ahead home run along with a triple.
Trammel was invited to Spring Training by the Reds in 2019 as a non roster player. He spent the first half of the 2019 season playing with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern League.
The Reds traded Trammell to the San Diego Padres in a three-team trade on July 30, 2019. When Trammell joined the Padres, he was assigned to the Amarillo Sod Poodles of the Class AA Texas League.
Trammell had a brief stint with the Padres as he was traded to the Mariners on August 30, 2020. In November of 2020, he was added to the 40-man roster. Going into spring training, Trammell was determined to make a name for himself and he did just that.
He finished Catcus League play batting .302 with five doubles, three homers and 11 RBI. His performance earned him the starting spot in left field going into the 2021 season.
In his recent game against the Twins on April 11th, Trammell went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored. There’s a reason why the Mariners added Trammell to the 40-man roster and every game he’s improving and becoming more comfortable handling major league pitching. Trammell has the ability to make an impact on this Mariners team.