Tampa Bay Rays Take TCU Infielder at No. 19 in MLB Draft

The Tampa Bay Rays have selected TCU infielder Brayden Taylor with the No. 19 overall pick in the MLB Draft. He helped the Horned Frogs get to the College World Series this year in Omaha.

He was ranked the No. 15 overall prospect in the draft by MLB.com and here's a portion of his MLB.com draft profile:

The Big 12 Conference freshman of the year and a Cape Cod League All-Star in 2021, he played for the U.S. collegiate national team last summer.

Using a sweet left-handed swing and fine bat-to-ball skills, Taylor makes repeated contact to all fields. He's not afraid to work deep counts and controls the strike zone well. Though he has sacrificed some batting average while looking to pull and drive more balls this spring, he demonstrated increased power and set TCU records for single-season (23) and career (48) home runs.

His selection follows Paul Skenes (No. 1, Pirates), Dylan Crews (No. 2, Nationals), Max Clark (No. 3, Tigers), Wyatt Langford (No. 4, Rangers), Walker Jenkins (No. 5, Twins), Jacob Wilson (No. 6, A's), Rhett Lowder (No. 7, Reds), Blake Mitchell (No. 8, Royals), Chase Dollander (No. 9, Rockies), Noble Meyer (No. 10, Marlins), Nolan Schanuel (No. 11, Angels), Tommy Troy (No. 12, Diamondbacks), Matt Shaw (No. 13, Cubs) Kyle Teel (No. 14, Red Sox), Jacob Gonzalez (No. 15, White Sox), Bryce Eldridge (No. 16, Giants), Enrique Bradfield Jr. (No. 17, Orioles) and Brock Wilken (No. 18, Brewers).

At the major league level, the Rays are 58-35 and in first place in the American League East. They are trying to win the first World Series in franchise history.

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