I don’t want to bury the lede or waste your time, so I’ll cut to the chase:
CHRIS TAYLOR IS AN ALL STAR.
This news has been brewing for some time now, but after tonight it’s time for everyone to seal their envelopes, throw a stamp on and mail it in.
Taylor’s at bat in the bottom of the 6th with the bases loaded and score deadlocked at 3 was one of the most incredible displays of patience followed by execution I’ve seen this year. After dropping three in a row to the Giants, it felt like the Dodgers were going to enter the purgatory once again, but this at bat put that hold on for the mean time.
After an epic 14 pitch AB, CT3 clears the bases with this double giving the Dodgers a 6-3 lead in the 6th. It's also their 74th RBI in a bases loaded situation. By far the most in baseball.pic.twitter.com/OiKzNFPPOb
— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) June 1, 2021
Sit back and enjoy one of the most dramatic at bats you've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/bXgARnbw8H
— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) June 1, 2021
If you were to take the trash out after the first pitch, you still would have had enough time to watch him drill 97 mph from Genesis Cabrera into the right field gap. Three balls and nine foul tips ended up making a very interesting mosaic as well.
Chris Taylor created…art 🥲 pic.twitter.com/UiE3EC5ui4
— Jake Reiner (@Reiner_Jake) June 1, 2021
Pitch by pitch, the decibels produced from the crowd kept on growing and growing until it reached a fever pitch. The stadium was nowhere near full capacity, yet Dodger Stadium was rocking like never before thanks to future All Star Chris Taylor. It was a defining moment from early on this year and one that will surely make the cut for the end of the year slideshow.
"I don't know if I was patient. I think I swung a lot." 🤣 Chris Taylor with @kirsten_watson on his 14-pitch at-bat that eventually gave the #Dodgers the lead in the 6th. pic.twitter.com/6nU5KGgven
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 1, 2021
With such an electric at bat it’s easy to forget his night at the plate included a home run and another double as well.
CT3 with a no doubter for his 7th HR of the season. pic.twitter.com/KBaZeE5xnR
— Dodgers Tailgate (@DodgersTailgate) June 1, 2021
Judging by where things are right now, Taylor has earned himself a spot on the All-Star team for reasons beyond his phenomenal bat. He’s played above average defense in every spot in the outfield, and every spot in the infield besides first base.
How many guys who are leading the NL in runs scored and top 5 in BB/OBP can say they are able to say that they have adjacent versatility?
None.
Chris Taylor NL ranks in 2021 for #Dodgers:
40 runs (1st)
.401 OBP (5th)
.889 OPS (8th)
.388 wOBA (8th)
151 wRC+ (8th)* He's one of only two players in the NL to play all three outfield positions along with second base, shortstop and third base pic.twitter.com/LZppBjC9I5
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) June 1, 2021
Not many of these guys were also able to say that they were traded straight up for a flailing prospect like Zach Lee. Getting Taylor for a guy who currently has a -.8 WAR and hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2017 is like trading a pack of raisins for an Audemar Piguet.
Last night’s base knock is where the tides turn and mainstream media outlets finally start reposting his highlights. Chris Taylor is no longer the glue guy who gets overlooked because of the company surrounding him. Trying to outslug MVP candidates (and winners) like Max Muncy, Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Mookie Betts is quite the task. In 2021, Taylor has been better than every single one of those guys besides MVP frontrunner Muncy.
Without Taylor this offense wouldn’t rank second in the league in runs with 5.15 and second in OBP with .337. Taylor is a difference maker and if you didn’t realize that after tonight I don’t think anything will.
When Matt isn’t blogging about the Dodgers, he is eating chicken cacciatore at Bucca di Beppo with Tommy Lasorda.
Twitter: @mattweiner20
