6.18.2013

Prospecting: Tyrone Taylor

This "writing" thing, almost seems foreign to me.  But I still live and my computer still works and there is tons of useless (useful?) opinions on the world of Wisconsin sports floating around aimlessly in my head.  I'd sit here and tell you that I'm back and I'm going to be a consistent contributor to the sports blogosphere, but let's ease back in to this shall we?  For example, a closer look at one of my new favorite Milwaukee Brewers hitting prospects - one Tyrone Taylor.

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.

6.12.2013

Support Your Local Brewers

I don't just mean your local craft brewers, of which you should also support them. No, I mean your Milwaukee Brewers baseball club. It would seem after disastrous six win May, that they've managed to spoil any chance of the postseason. But fret not fellow fans, there are still reasons on why you should continue to support the team.

There is a Lot of Talent on the Team - Talent? These bums can't seem to win with any consistency. True, they've struggled putting it all together, but let's take a look at this lineup again. You have two electric breakout stars right now in Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez. Jean Segura obviously is off to a hot start, and as of now, deserves a trip to the All-Star game (VOTE!), but why would I mention Gomez has being breakout? Well, because he's 28 years old. He shouldn't have been called to the Majors as quickly as he was, and he is now starting to make the most of his talent. Between these two players and Ryan Braun, this team has a solid core of which to build around. Then of course there's Lucroy, a fan favorite for good reason. Yes, this offense is able to put up double digits on any given game. This isn't your team of the 90's, there's talent that is worth going out to the ballpark to watch.

A Glimpse at the Future - We know about Jean Segura now, and we know he's under Brewers control for many more years, even without an extension.  However, the club is starting to give their talented young prospects chances this year. Rickie's struggles have forced the hand of the Brewers to call up Scooter Gennett, a player who's hit successfully on every level. Another young bat, who we might see a lot more of soon if Braun goes on the DL or is suspended is Logan Schafer. This young man already has my attention with his walk-up music selection, "Return of the Mack".

Then there's the pitching. Wily Peralta and Hiram Burgos are still learning the ropes in the rotation, but are still good reasons to go out to the park. Other young pitchers like Fiers and Thornburg, have had a few bumps in the road, but could still turn things around. This year seems like it might be a good year to watch these young arms, to see progress as we move towards 2014.

This isn't the "watch the future Brewers" of the 00's where we desperately hoped players like Ben Hendrickson would bring us championships, no, this is to see who will fill in the holes of an already solid core. Remember, it was these young arms that helped propel the 2012 Brewers to a relevant 2nd half of the season. Which brings us to:

The Season Isn't Over - Like I just mentioned, the Brewers, after a seemingly lost 2012 early on, managed to come roaring back and get themselves in the playoff picture until the last few games of the year. September was still meaningful. Who's to say that doesn't happen again this year? It's sort of a Roenicke thing, maybe his years with Scioscia have rubbed off. Remember the Yost days, where it was start hot, finish poor? Listen, I'm not delusional, I'm just saying, hopping off and on the bandwagon must get exhausting.

It's a Great Summer Activity - We bitch all winter long about the cold, and the lack of baseball.  So now you're not going to go have a good time just because the team didn't start off too great? That's some dollar store brand of stadium sauce right there...WEAK! Go to the park, tailgate, party, enjoy baseball while it lasts. If you can't make it to a game, listen to Uecker call a game from your deck while grilling with a beer in hand. Summer is fleeting in Wisconsin. To me, baseball = summer and summer = fun.

Prost!

6.10.2013

Like a Phoenix Rising From the Ashes...

Wisconsin Sport Tap has returned. Okay, so a Phoenix doesn't really fit the bill. Let me rephrase this:

Like the lazy Rip Van Winkel, awaking from his slumber, Wisconsin Sports Tap is back!

There, that seems more appropriate. But, I've gotten the writing bug again, and I'll try to convince Mark to do the same. A few topics I want to get started on:

- Biogenesis
- Continuing to support your Milwaukee Brewers during a possibly lost season
- Brett Favre
- Various other nonsense.

Let me trim my beard, and I'll get started right away!






Cheers, Prost, Kanpai, Salute, Salud, Skål