Name: Brayden Taylor
School: Texas Christian (TCU)
Position: Third Base
Height/Weight: 6’1”, 180
B/T: L/R
D.O.B. 5/22/2002
Scouting Report
As a left-handed bat, Taylor features contact over power. His graceful swing, good-eye and the ability to spray the ball to all fields make him a high OBP guy. He slashed .315/.442/.595 in three collegiate seasons with 158 walks and only 146 strikeouts. In 2023, he added a power element to his game, smashing 23 home runs in 260 ABs, far exceeding his previous totals of 12 and 13 in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
In two seasons in the wooden bat Cape Cod League, his numbers dropped slightly from his NCAA statistics but were still good enough to land him on the CCL All-Star team in 2021.
Defensively, Taylor has spent much of his time at third, while dabbling as a middle infielder. His rifle arm and absence of speed make the hot corner his preferred position, but a high baseball IQ gives him the capability to be an adequate middle infielder. An almost certain first-rounder, the lack of a carrying tool suppressed his draft projection to the latter part of the first round. After winning Big 12 Conference tournament MVP, his stock is surging, with most prognosticators having him going off the board between 6 and 13.
Why Would the White Sox Draft Brayden Taylor?
As a premium college bat and a superb defender at third base, Taylor would make an excellent addition to any system. Although the hot corner is a strength in the White Sox system, they always seem to need quality bats, particularly from the left side. High OBP guys are also a rarity. If the White Sox believe his power potential is sustainable, his appeal could be too strong to pass up. Given his recent climb up the draft boards, Taylor could be a steal if he’s still hanging around at 15.
Mock Drafts
Originally projected to go somewhere between 20-30, winning the Big 12 conference tournament MVP has catapulted him in the 6-13 range. MLB Pipeline’s latest mock draft has him going eight miles up the Red Line to the Cubs at 13. Keith Law of The Athletic indicates the Southsiders are highly interested in the third basemen but he ends Taylor to the Arizona Diamondbacks at #12 overall. Things are always volatile on draft day, making it a strong possibility he’s available at 15. If he’s there, adding an advanced premium bat to the system may be too tantalizing for the White Sox to pass up.
Carlos Collazo of Baseball America projected Taylor to go 17th overall in the first round to the Baltimore Orioles in his Mock Draft 3.0. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN projected the third baseman to the Oakland Athletics with the #6 overall pick in his most recent projection. And in what seems like an outlier at this stage, Joe Doyle of Future Stars Series mocked Brayden Taylor to the New York Yankees with the #26 pic.
College Statistics
2021 Big 12
58 G, 222 AB, .324/.445/.572, 1.017 OPS, 54 R, 72 H, 11 2B, 12 HR, 53 RBI, 15 SB, 49 BB, 46 K
2021 Cape Code League
26 G, 119 AB, .269/.361/.385, .746 OPS, 18 R, 28 H, 6 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 3 SB, 14 BB, 27 K
2022 Big 12
59 G, 271 AB, .314/.454/.576, 1.030 OPS, 88 R, 66 H, 14 2B, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 10 SB, 55 BB, 40 K
2022 Cape Code League
11 G, 33 AB, .242/.395/.546, .941 OPS, 8 R, 8 H, 1 2B, 3HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, 9 BB, 7 K
2023 Big 12
67 G, 260 AB, .308/.430/.631, 1.061 OPS, 77 R, 80 H, 15 2B, 23 HR, 70 RBI, 14 SB, 54 BB, 60 K