Who is Tyrone Taylor?
Drafted in the second round of the 2012 draft (92nd overall) Taylor was the fourth player taken by Milwaukee a year ago. Athletic is the word that you will hear in regards to this outfield prospect the most often. To go along with baseball he was also a running back in high school, rushing for over 1500 yards and double-digit touchdowns.
He came onto the scene with a splash last season, hitting .389 in eight games with the rookie Arizona Brewers, which earned him a promotion to Helena for short season ball. Taylor hit .385 with a pair of home runs in ten games before an injury ended his first professional season. Still, the front office had seen enough to assign him to Wisconsin (Low-A) for the 2012 season.
Taylor got off to a slow start this year but has been absolutely on fire in the month of June. In April he hit .247, in May .236, but in June he is scorching the ball to the tune of a .482 average. Not bad. He has four home runs - good enough for third on the team - and is leading the T-Rats with 19 doubles.
The Good
The numbers across the board are good for Taylor. His 24 extra-base hits are tops on the team, his athleticism has shown through on his 14 stolen bases in 18 attempts and he hasn't looked over-matched at the plate (he's struck out only 27 times in 239 at-bats). Throw in a .297 batting average, .355 on-base percentage and there is a lot to like about him.
Did I mention he is only 19 years old? All of this from a 19-year-old, that is pretty impressive by itself.
The Bad
A little more consistency would be nice, a rough April-May has been washed out by an outstanding first two-plus weeks of June but imagine how outrageous his numbers would look had he been performing at a high level for the whole season. That being said, he is only 19 and what you really want to see from month to month is improvement. And we are seeing that.
Honestly I don't have much else, if consistency is the biggest problem a 19-year-old hitting prospect has, things are looking good.
The Outlook
Taylor is going to be a fun one to watch develop. His 19 doubles and four home runs indicate he could have developing power, he has good speed and plate presence and he can steal bases. He is a true five-tool prospect, which is as exciting as it is terrifying. Five-tool major league ball players are extremely rare, just look how long it took for Carlos Gomez to develop.
If he continues to hit like he has in June, Taylor could see a promotion to Brevard County. More likely, especially considering his age, he will play out the 2013 season with Wisconsin and play his 2014 campaign with the High-A Manatees. So if you are reading this, you should really head up to the Fox Valley and watch this kid play - he could be a good one.