- Full name Zane Taylor
- Born 06/01/2002 in
- Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
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Drafted in the 5th round (141st overall) by the Athletics in 2025 (signed for $513,900).
View Draft Report
School: UNC Wilmington Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 23.1
BA Grade: 45/High
For three years at UNC Wilmington, Taylor established himself as a high-end strike-throwing starter. During his 2025 senior season he added more stuff, and had a breakout season with a 1.98 ERA over 15 starts and 95.2 innings. He posted a career-high 28.8% strikeout rate and had a 3% walk rate that was the eighth-best mark among D-I pitchers with 50-plus innings. Taylor is a strong and filled-out righthander with a 6-foot, 200-pound frame. After sitting around 90-92 mph with his fastball, Taylor added nearly three full ticks of velocity in 2025. He averaged 93.6 mph and topped out at 98 with fairly generic life, but a slightly lower than average release height and a reasonably flat approach angle. What separates Taylor’s fastball more than anything is his ability to consistently command the pitch around the zone and use it to consistently get into pitcher’s counts. Taylor also has great feel for his entire mix of secondaries. He incorporated a new spike-grip curveball in the 80-85 mph range this spring. The pitch has short two-plane break and looks like a slider in shape at times. He also throws a mid-to-upper-80s cutter and a low-80s changeup. None of Taylor’s pitches are plus now, but all are solid and his plus control gives him a high-probability starter role with back-of-the-rotation upside. He should be a priority senior sign and one of the first college seniors drafted in 2025.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 60.
Top Rankings
Draft Prospects
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School: UNC Wilmington Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 23.1
BA Grade: 45/High
For three years at UNC Wilmington, Taylor established himself as a high-end strike-throwing starter. During his 2025 senior season he added more stuff, and had a breakout season with a 1.98 ERA over 15 starts and 95.2 innings. He posted a career-high 28.8% strikeout rate and had a 3% walk rate that was the eighth-best mark among D-I pitchers with 50-plus innings. Taylor is a strong and filled-out righthander with a 6-foot, 200-pound frame. After sitting around 90-92 mph with his fastball, Taylor added nearly three full ticks of velocity in 2025. He averaged 93.6 mph and topped out at 98 with fairly generic life, but a slightly lower than average release height and a reasonably flat approach angle. What separates Taylor’s fastball more than anything is his ability to consistently command the pitch around the zone and use it to consistently get into pitcher’s counts. Taylor also has great feel for his entire mix of secondaries. He incorporated a new spike-grip curveball in the 80-85 mph range this spring. The pitch has short two-plane break and looks like a slider in shape at times. He also throws a mid-to-upper-80s cutter and a low-80s changeup. None of Taylor’s pitches are plus now, but all are solid and his plus control gives him a high-probability starter role with back-of-the-rotation upside. He should be a priority senior sign and one of the first college seniors drafted in 2025.
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 60.
