Chicago White Sox Second-Round Pick Displays High Strikeout Rate

Chicago White Sox prospect Grant Taylor has displayed some serious swing-and-miss stuff as he continues to advance through the minor leagues.

Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-handed pitcher, tossed three scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts on Tuesday for the Double-A Birmingham Barons. He struggled a bit with command, walking two batters, but he still managed to retire nine out of 11 batters faced.

Taylor's first strikeout came on a sharp breaking ball, which catcher Michael Turner picked off the dirt and threw to second base to catch a base runner stealing. He got another batter to whiff at his curveball, then struck out the following three with his fastball. Taylor's fastball can touch 99mph, and he painted two on the outside corner to strike out two batters looking.

Grant Taylor lowers his ERA to 1.08🔥

The @WhiteSox No. 7 prospect spins three hitless frames with 5 K's for the Double-A @BhamBarons. pic.twitter.com/Z8W5YupiG8
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 23, 2025

The 22-year-old from Florence, Ala., has made three starts for the Barons this season, posting a 1.08 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has an impressive 13 strikeouts through 8.1 innings, with just one earned run allowed. He struck out five batters in 2.1 innings last week and fanned three batters in three innings during his season debut.

Taylor is ranked No. 7 among White Sox prospects, and he's third among pitchers behind left-handers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith. The White Sox drafted him in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft with the 51st overall pick. He pitched in rookie ball and Single-A last season before making the jump to Double-A in 2025.

MLB.com estimates Taylor makes his major-league debut in 2026 and detailed his pitch arsenal in the scouting report below.

"Taylor has four different pitchers that can grade as plus or better at their best," MLB.com wrote. "His fastball sits at 93-97 mph and reaches 99 with late hop, though it can get hit when it straightens out and he doesn't locate it well. His sharp low-90s cutter has become his top secondary offering, surpassing his pair of power breaking balls: an 82-85 mph downer curveball and an 85-88 mph slider. He barely has dabbled with a changeup in college or pro ball -- his sits around 90 mph and is too firm with mild fade -- and the White Sox aren't sure he'll need it.

Related MiLB stories