Taylor Floyd Could Soon Offer Relief

The Brewers finally got a good look at 2019 draft pick Taylor Floyd, and they liked what they saw from the 10th-round righthander, so much so that they kept him on the mound in the Arizona Fall League.  

Floyd served as a reliever at Texas Tech and pitched just 10.1 innings for Rookie-level Rocky Mountain in his pro debut. Then he had nowhere to play in 2020 as the pandemic shut down the minor leagues.  

The Brewers kept Floyd in the bullpen when they assigned him to High-A Wisconsin to start the season. He moved to Double-A Biloxi to close the season. In total he made 40 appearances and logged a 2.89 ERA with 84 strikeouts and 24 walks in 56 innings. He allowed a .189 average.

“Taylor is a competitor. I know we throw that term around a lot in the game, but he really knows how to compete,” Brewers farm director Tom Flanagan said.

Floyd finished the regular season with seven scoreless Double-A appearances, but he is hardly overpowering with a fastball that sits at 90-92 mph. He throws from a low arm slot that results in plenty of armside run and sink.

The 24-year-old’s out pitch is a sweeping slider that is devastating to righthanded hitters.

“His fastball and slider make a powerful combo, especially throwing from that lower slot,” Flanagan said. “And he rarely gives in to hitters. His competitiveness really shows in that regard.” 

As it stands now, the Brewers’ plan is to continue giving Floyd the ball in high-leverage relief situations next season. And after watching him thrive for a full season, they firmly believe he will pitch in the major leagues, perhaps sooner than later. 

“He really didn’t pitch much for us until this year, and he had a great season,” Flanagan said. “Getting the chance to cap it with some innings in the Fall League will be a nice step for him heading into 2022.” 

 

MICROBREWS 

— Chinese righthander Jolon Zhao, a 2018 international signee, was assigned to Salt River’s taxi squad after pitching in six games in the Arizona Complex League, his first official game action since 2018. The 20-year-old had Tommy John surgery in 2019 and missed all of 2020 due to his recovery and the pandemic.  

— Catcher Mario Feliciano, who played in just 32 games for Triple-A Nashville in 2021 because of a right shoulder impingement, was assigned to the Arizona Fall League to make up for some of those lost at-bats. Depending on how that went, he could also see some winter ball action in Puerto Rico.