Brayden Taylor

Known as one of the best pure hitters from the college crop in last year's draft, Taylor had a productive debut after the Rays selected him with the 19th overall pick, but his power and strikeouts spiked. The lefty-hitting infielder slashed .242/.361/.517 with five home runs, a 31.5 percent strikeout rate and a 15.7 percent walk rate in 25 games primarily at Single-A. He may have sold out for power, but ideally Taylor will focus on establishing a plus hit tool first. He had a .941 OPS with more walks (nine) than strikeouts (seven) in 11 Cape Cod League games in 2022 and slashed .308/.430/.631 with 23 home runs and 14 steals while striking out at an 18.7 percent clip in 65 games as a junior. Taylor only grades out as an average runner, but he has stolen 48 bases successfully since he was last thrown out back in 2021 as a freshman at TCU. He is a good athlete who seemingly does everything pretty well on a baseball diamond, and he has the defensive chops to add value at second or third base. Taylor should head to High-A and could reach the majors in 2025. Read Past Outlooks