Brayden Taylor Stats & Scouting Report

AB	51
AVG	.176
OBP	.3
SLG	.373
HR	3

Full name Brayden Kerry Taylor
Born 05/22/2002 in West Jordan, UT
Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Texas Christian
Drafted in the 1st round (19th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023 (signed for $3,877,600).

View Draft Report

School: Texas Christian Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
BA Grade:55/High
Tools:Hit: 60. Power: 50. Run: 50. Field: 50. Arm: 50.

Taylor possesses one of the most keen batting eyes in the 2023 draft class, and is a savvy hitter with plenty of contact ability and on-base skill. He’s been one of the most productive hitters in the Big 12 throughout his three-year career with Texas Christian and after a slow start in 2023, finished hot offensively and slashed .308/.430/.631 with a career-best 23 home runs in his junior draft season. The carrying tool with Taylor is his approach and swing decisions. He has a career 18.6% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate, and in 2023 chased out of the zone just 20% of the time, but he’s also not just a passive hitter who’s looking to draw walks. Taylor knows which pitches he can do damage on, knows the strike zone better than most umpires and he’s comfortable hitting behind in the count—which allows him to be selective and also optimize the power he has. Taylor is a skinny third baseman with a 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame and he has just solid-average raw power and modest exit velocities, but he creates excellent angles off the bat, consistently backspins the ball and has plenty of pull-side pop. Taylor has just average secondary tools, and should be a fine defender at either third base or second base at the next level, with reliable hands and average arm strength. He’s a solid runner but has plus baserunning instincts with a 97.4% (38-for-39) stolen base success rate.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 50/Medium.

Track Record: The Rays drafted Taylor 19th overall out of Texas Christian in 2023. He quietly had one of the best seasons in the Rays’ system in 2024, which he spent primarily at High-A Bowling Green. He finished third in the organization in home runs (20), fourth in slugging percentage (.493) and first in both walks (76) and extra-base hits (55). That tracks with what he did at TCU, where he was one of the Horned Frogs’ best hitters for three seasons.

Scouting Report: The best way to describe Taylor is he’s boringly impressive. He has no plus grade on his scouting report, but there’s also no glaring deficiency. He strings together quality at-bats, makes good swing decisions and gets the most from his average power because he knows how to get pitches he can drive to his pull side. The lefthanded hitter has shown he’s not helpless against lefties and projects to be a .250-.260 hitter with 18-20 home runs. Taylor is an average defender at second base and a fringe-average one at third base, though he’s played more third than any other position as a pro. He’s better at second because he isn’t particularly twitchy, so he does better when he has a little more time to react. His average arm is accurate. Taylor makes the routine play, but he doesn’t create many highlights. He’s an average runner, but he knows how to pick his spots. He has stolen 40 bases at an 85% success rate as a pro.

The Future: Taylor should be ready to join the Rays’ picture at second and third base by the end of 2025, and he makes sense as Brandon Lowe’s eventual replacement at the keystone. He’s not likely to be a star, but he has a pretty clear path to being a solid long-term regular. He should spend most of 2025 at Triple-A Durham.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50.
BA Grade: 55/High

Track Record: Heading into the 2023 season, Taylor was viewed as one of the better hitters in his draft class. As a Texas Christian junior, he answered some of the questions about his power by hitting 23 home runs in 67 games after hitting 25 bombs in his previous two seasons combined. The Rays drafted Taylor 19th overall and signed him for a slot value bonus of $3.877 million, the seventh highest for a drafted player in franchise history.

Scouting Report: Taylor fits the Rays’ desire for developing players who are hitters with power potential rather than sluggers who may develop as hitters. He walked more than he struck out over his college career and impressed evaluators with his ability to hit for average and make plenty of contact. Taylor’s swing could use a little cleanup. He tends to pull off the ball at times and his swing path could get more direct, but he has excellent pitch recognition and bat-to-ball skills. He has the potential to sell out for more power, but he’s likely better off focusing on being a plus hitter with average power. Taylor’s eventual defensive home is not fully set. While he played third base exclusively in his pro debut, he has the tools to be a solid second baseman, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him try his hand at shortstop in the minor leagues 2024. Taylor doesn’t have a standout tool aside from his bat, but he does a lot of things well. For example, he has average speed and has stolen 48 bases successfully since his last caught stealing, which occurred early in his freshman year at TCU.

The Future: Taylor is the kind of offensive infielder with bat-to-ball skills that the Rays love. He’s set to head to High-A Bowling Green in 2024. If he develops as expected, Taylor could become an everyday second or third baseman for Tampa Bay in a couple of years.

Scouting Grades Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50

Draft Prospects

School: Texas Christian Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.1
BA Grade:55/High
Tools:Hit: 60. Power: 50. Run: 50. Field: 50. Arm: 50.

Taylor possesses one of the most keen batting eyes in the 2023 draft class, and is a savvy hitter with plenty of contact ability and on-base skill. He’s been one of the most productive hitters in the Big 12 throughout his three-year career with Texas Christian and after a slow start in 2023, finished hot offensively and slashed .308/.430/.631 with a career-best 23 home runs in his junior draft season. The carrying tool with Taylor is his approach and swing decisions. He has a career 18.6% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate, and in 2023 chased out of the zone just 20% of the time, but he’s also not just a passive hitter who’s looking to draw walks. Taylor knows which pitches he can do damage on, knows the strike zone better than most umpires and he’s comfortable hitting behind in the count—which allows him to be selective and also optimize the power he has. Taylor is a skinny third baseman with a 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame and he has just solid-average raw power and modest exit velocities, but he creates excellent angles off the bat, consistently backspins the ball and has plenty of pull-side pop. Taylor has just average secondary tools, and should be a fine defender at either third base or second base at the next level, with reliable hands and average arm strength. He’s a solid runner but has plus baserunning instincts with a 97.4% (38-for-39) stolen base success rate.