Grant Taylor Stats & Scouting Report

IP	3.1
ERA	8.1
WHIP	1.2
BB/9	2.7
SO/9	18.9

Full name Grant Alan Taylor
Born 05/20/2002 in Florence, AL
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Louisiana State
Drafted in the 2nd round (51st overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 2023 (signed for $1,659,800).

View Draft Report

School: Louisiana State Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade:50/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Slider: 50. Curveball: 55. Cutter: 50. Control: 40.

Taylor ranked as the No. 381 prospect in the 2021 class as a high schooler, and had been throwing mid-90s velocity since he was just 15 years old. He made it to campus at Louisiana State and pitched out of the bullpen, where he showed loud pure stuff, but walked too many batters and posted a 5.81 ERA over 31 innings. He pitched well in the Cape Cod League in 2022, where he showed better command and ranked as the top pitching prospect in the league, but never got a chance to translate that back to LSU after an elbow injury and Tommy John surgery ended his season before it started. Taylor has a thickly-built frame at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and pitches with a slightly stiff operation that features a lengthy arm stroke and high, three-quarter slot. Pre-injury, he threw a fastball in the 93-95 mph range that touched 98-99 mph at peak velocity, with plus riding life. His go-to secondary is an upper-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape and tons of spin in the 2,700-2,800 range, but he’ll also mix in a mid-80s slider and low-90s cutter. Taylor has high spin rates across the board with all of his pitches, but had reliever risk before his injury and couldn’t prove his starting ability over a full season in his draft year.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme.

Track Record: Taylor pitched only one season at Louisiana State as a 19-year-old freshman in 2022 with just fair results before putting himself on the draft map with his performance at the Cape Cod League that summer. He never made it back to the mound in school after he had Tommy John surgery. The White Sox had seen enough potential to select Taylor in the second round in 2023. His first pro game action came near the end of 2024 minor league spring training, with the first warmup pitch coming out of his hand at 100 mph. He went on to pitch regularly at extended spring training before making one start in the Arizona Complex League followed by four starts for Low-A Kannapolis, with an incredible 25 strikeouts to one walk. A lat injury sidelined Taylor for the rest of the season before he returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

Scouting Report: Taylor relies heavily on a four-seam fastball that sits 94-98 mph and touches 100 with riding life. He complements his heater with an above-average curveball and average slider and cutter. Taylor’s curveball is a harder pitch than in college, with a spin rate of around 2,500 rpm and max velocity of 85 mph. His slider and cutter are both power pitches, averaging 87 and 91, respectively. His slider has good sweep and bite when it’s on, but the break can be a little short at times. Taylor seldom used a changeup in college but was relying on the pitch more often in the AFL. At 87-89 mph, it could use a little more velocity separation but has the potential to be an above-average pitch as he gets more comfortable with it. Taylor is athletic with a strong pitcher’s build and a delivery that allows him to throw strikes.

The Future: The development of Taylor’s changeup makes it more likely that he can remain in the rotation. He just needs experience facing more advanced hitters.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Cut: 50 | Control: 50.
BA Grade: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Taylor began his college career at Louisiana State in 2022 as a 19-year-old freshman. He showed loud pure stuff but walked 6.1 batters per nine innings and posted a 5.81 ERA working mostly out of the bullpen. His stock went up in the 2022 Cape Cod League, where he was named the top pitching prospect in the league after fanning 30 batters in 21 innings while walking just two. Taylor continued to impress as a starter during LSU’s fall ball season but didn’t take the mound in 2023 because of an elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. The stuff that Taylor showed on the Cape and in the fall of his sophomore year was enough to get him ranked highly on draft boards, and the White Sox took him in the second round and signed him for $1,659,800. Taylor spent his first pro summer rehabbing at the White Sox’s complex in Glendale, Ariz.

Scouting Report: Prior to his injury, Taylor threw a plus fastball in the 93-95 mph range and touched 98-99 with plus riding life. His go-to secondary is an upper-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape and tons of spin in the 2,700-2,800 rpm range, but he’ll also mix in a mid-80s slider and low-90s cutter. Taylor has high spin rates across the board with all pitches. He seldom threw a changeup, an area for development once he’s back on the mound.

The Future: Taylor will start throwing early in 2024 and could get into games by midseason. He had reliever risk even before his injury but will be developed as a starter to begin his pro career.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Control: 40

Draft Prospects

School: Louisiana State Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.2
BA Grade:50/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Slider: 50. Curveball: 55. Cutter: 50. Control: 40.

Taylor ranked as the No. 381 prospect in the 2021 class as a high schooler, and had been throwing mid-90s velocity since he was just 15 years old. He made it to campus at Louisiana State and pitched out of the bullpen, where he showed loud pure stuff, but walked too many batters and posted a 5.81 ERA over 31 innings. He pitched well in the Cape Cod League in 2022, where he showed better command and ranked as the top pitching prospect in the league, but never got a chance to translate that back to LSU after an elbow injury and Tommy John surgery ended his season before it started. Taylor has a thickly-built frame at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and pitches with a slightly stiff operation that features a lengthy arm stroke and high, three-quarter slot. Pre-injury, he threw a fastball in the 93-95 mph range that touched 98-99 mph at peak velocity, with plus riding life. His go-to secondary is an upper-70s curveball with 12-to-6 shape and tons of spin in the 2,700-2,800 range, but he’ll also mix in a mid-80s slider and low-90s cutter. Taylor has high spin rates across the board with all of his pitches, but had reliever risk before his injury and couldn’t prove his starting ability over a full season in his draft year.

Career Transactions

Kannapolis Cannon Ballers activated RHP Grant Taylor.
RHP Grant Taylor assigned to Glendale Desert Dogs.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers transferred RHP Grant Taylor from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers placed RHP Grant Taylor on the 7-day injured list.
RHP Grant Taylor assigned to Kannapolis Cannon Ballers from ACL White Sox.
RHP Grant Taylor assigned to ACL White Sox.
Chicago White Sox signed RHP Grant Taylor.