Brayden Taylor Selected by Tampa Bay Rays in MLB Draft
One of the most exciting events for any baseball fan or player is the MLB Draft. The negative response from commissioner Rob Manfred appearing on stage, the thousands of fans from all across America collectively waiting in anticipation to see what college or high school athlete their team will select, and the excitement that builds as your team prepares for the future.
This year's MLB Draft is interesting to Horned Frog fans because of Brayden Taylor. The third baseman was expected by many to go in the top twenty picks in the draft. In the original projections for who goes where in the draft, some sources had Taylor listed as high as the 6th overall pick to the Oakland Athletics.
With the 19th pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, Taylor heard his name called by the Tampa Bay Rays. The pick itself didn't take long at all, as it seems Tampa Bay didn't think he would be on the board when their pick arrived. On the MLB Draft broadcast, one of the first things said by commentators was the fact that the Rays got a steal because of Taylor's potential to be a strong hitter that can move to shortstop if needed. The biggest thing for the Rays in this draft was a player that can help them offensively. It's safe to say Tampa Bay got what they wanted with an extremely talented hitter.
Taylor ended his college career on an exciting note by winning the Big-12 Baseball Tournament, going undefeated in the playoff regionals and super regionals, and even advancing to the final four in the College World Series. Taylors hitting career at TCU was nothing short of outstanding. In his 3-year career at TCU, Taylor had a batting average of .315, 48 home runs, and 173 RBIs.
Taylor is the first position player from TCU to be selected in the first round and the fifth TCU player to be drafted in the first round overall. Not only did Taylor tie the homerun record, but he also received the MVP Award in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. In addition, he earned a spot on the Fayetteville All-Regional team and was named a first-team All-Central Region Performer.
Since Kirk Saarloos began his tenure at TCU in 2013, TCU has had 58 draft picks by 22 different teams and has produced 23 Top 10 round draft picks, three of which have been in the first round.
Taylor may be leaving the DFW area, but it's no secret that he has left his mark on the TCU Baseball program both as a leader and as a record-holder and will look to continue his success at the highest levels of baseball.
With his selection tonight, Taylor joins other first-round picks, Lance Broadway (Chicago White Sox, 2005), Andrew Cashner (Chicago Cubs, 2008), Brandon Finnegan (Kansas City, 2014), and Nick Lodolo (Cincinnati, 2019).
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