BA Newsletter: Get Analysis, Rankings Delivered To Your Inbox!

Taylor Widener Reminds Yankees Of Past Success Story



Because the Yankees’ minor league system is so deep, some players get lost in the shuffle.

A prime example is 23-year-old righthander Taylor Widener, a 12th-round pick in 2016 out of South Carolina who spent 2017 primarily at high Class A Tampa. "A lot of guys believe he will have a big impact as a reliever, and some guys think he will be a starter," vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring said. "He is on the same path as Adam Warren but has a bigger arm. He is a prospect who could jump up the list.’’

The 6-foot, 195-pound Widener impressed a scout who watched him pitch for Double-A Trenton in the Eastern League playoffs.

"I like him as a (big league) middle reliever. He has a good three-pitch mix," the scout said. "The game I saw he threw five innings, faced 15 batters, struck out seven and didn’t issue a walk. He was 90-96 (mph) with his fastball and showed a slider and changeup. I liked the changeup better than the slider."

While Widener might profile best in a big league bullpen, the Yankees used him exclusively as a starter in 2017 in the Florida State League, where he recorded a 3.39 ERA in 27 starts.  In 119.1 innings he allowed 87 hits, fanned 129, held opponents to an FSL-leading .206 average but did walk 50.

"The walk rate was a little high," the scout said.

In one of his two EL playoff appearances, Widener pitched the final five innings in a combined no-hitter by Trenton. Lefthander Justus Sheffield pitched the first four.

"His slider projects to be above-average and his changeup is a useful major league pitch," Naehring said. "(Widener) will get some cut action on his fastball at some point. The max velocity on his fastball was 98 (mph), and as a starter he averaged 94."

Ian Anderson Richschultzgetty

Baseball America Prospect Report—April 5, 2021

Notable MLB prospects who stood out from baseball's first weekend, including Ian Anderson, Michael King and Akil Baddoo.

That Naehring comparing Widener with Warren was interesting because Warren worked primarily as a starter at North Carolina and during his first four years in the Yankees’ system. Since reaching the majors in 2012, however, Warren has started 21 times in 251 appearances.

Are you a member?

In order to access this exclusive content you must have a Baseball America Account. 

Login or sign up  


Additionally, you can subscribe to Baseball America's newsletter and receive all of our rankings, analysis, prospect insight & more delivered to your inbox every day. Click here to get started. 

of Free Stories Remaining