Michael A. Taylor joined the Minnesota Twins in January for two minor league players. So far, the Twins are benefitting from acquiring the Gold Glove winner.
Taylor has had some productive performances this month for the Twins, who are at the top of the AL Central standings.
With Twins star Byron Buxton on the injured list with a left rib contusion, Taylor has stepped up at the plate in Buxton’s absence.
During the month of June, Taylor is hitting over .300 and from June 8 to June 11, he has hit safely in those four games.
Taylor is a veteran with tons of experience, and he can provide value on the field and at the plate for any team he’s a part of.
The 32-year-old also knows what it’s like being a part of a World Series-winning team as he was a member of the 2019 Washington Nationals team that defeated the Houston Astros to win its first World Series in franchise history.
Defensively, Taylor is one of the best in the game when it comes to tracking balls in the outfield. This season he’s really stepped up on the offensive side and it is certainly paying off. On June 9 against the Toronto Blue Jays, Taylor had one of his best games of the season. Going into the game, the Twins had a five-game losing streak and needed to turn things around.
In the fifth inning, Taylor smacked a two-run homer and then had a sacrifice fly in the top of the 10th to give the Twins a 3-2 lead, which was the go ahead run as the Twins were able to secure the victory.
Michael A. Taylor had all three RBI for the #MNTwins in the win and talked with @trevorplouffe afterwards. pic.twitter.com/VTyTeBkZhK
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 10, 2023
He singlehandedly won the game, as he drove in all three runs for Minnesota.
Twins manager was pleased with Taylor’s performance that game and has enjoyed having him on the team this season.
“He’s been so valuable for us,” Baldelli said in an article from mlb.com. “There’s no way around it. But the big swing today — he’s had a few of those. He’s gotten on top of some fastballs, but today he kind of dropped the barrel on that one and shoots it over the fence.”
Through 60 games this season, Taylor has belted nine home runs, already matching his total from last season. And he’s carrying a .231 batting average with 21 RBI, seven doubles, and 11 stolen bases.
Last year, Taylor had a productive season with the Kansas City Royals. He appeared in 124 games and hit .254 with nine homers and 43 RBI. It’s going to be a tight race in the AL Central and the Twins are looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2020.
There’s no question that Taylor can play a key part for the Twins this season and he will continue to go out there each and every day and leave it all out on the field for his team.
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