The Mets’ apparent fourth outfielder is hitting .341 with an .841 OPS.
Tyrone Taylor – a strong, quick defender who can play any outfield position – has arguably hit better than he has fielded over the first nearly three weeks of action.
When Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns came over from the Brewers and essentially brought Taylor (and Adrian Houser) with him in a trade, there was no doubt that Taylor would be a valuable player.
Thanks to the small sample size of his first 15 games with his new team, Taylor played a lot more than that.
“I like bats,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I see a good hitter at the plate right now.”
On Wednesday, even Taylor’s outs — a well-hit ball that Pittsburgh third baseman Jared Triolo pounced on and caught — were well-hit.
His hits outnumbered his outs, however, in a 3-for-4 afternoon with two RBIs, a run scored and a steal.
“I’m really happy with the results. It helps build confidence,” Taylor said after the 9-1 win over the Pirates at Citi Field. “But I did a good job of taking an approach every at-bat and just trying to put good at-bats together.”
He continued to post good at-bats despite somewhat unpredictable playing time.
Taylor started 10 of the Mets’ 18 games and was a defensive replacement in five others.
He has received regular, if not daily, time in part because the Mets have used a revolving door at designated hitter, carrying Starling Marte in particular to DH, which creates a spot in the outfield for Taylor to move around.
The Mets outfield can be formidable defensively if paired with Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo.
But such an outfield when DH JD Martinez joins the club would mean Marte, who also hit well, would be ousted from the at-bats.
Whenever Martinez is ready – the last hope may be in the next home game which begins late next week – the club will have decisions to make regarding how it employs Taylor.
What the Mets have seen so far is impressive.
“He’s short and he’s ready to hit the fastball,” Mendoza said of Taylor, who threw singles to left, center and right Wednesday, two on a fastball and one on a cursor. “That’s a good recipe for a major league hitter.”
Taylor had essentially the same fourth outfielder role with the Brewers.
Over five seasons with Milwaukee, Taylor’s OPS (.746) was slightly above average, he offered pop (41 home runs in 331 games) and added a dimension of speed (with 18 steals).
But he was best known for his defensive flexibility and excellence.
After another good day, Taylor may be able to show that there is still more to exploit.
“I just try to be the best I can be every day,” the 30-year-old said. “I work hard in training. I have a game plan. I’m consistent with my work for BP and all that. I definitely have the mentality to improve every day.
“But you never know with baseball. Good things are happening. Bad things happen. I’m just riding the wave.
New York Post
