Taylor picks it up after dip in playing time
Nats outfielder lost his starting spot
The most productive outfielder for the Washington Nationals right now is not playing every day. The man with the most well-rounded game in the entire outfield corps is not often a part of the starting lineup anymore. Unfortunately for Michael A. Taylor, he found his swing just when the Nationals started to get healthy, just when Juan Soto emerged as an immovable object, just as Adam Eaton returned to seize the leadoff spot. He is hitting .425 in his past 16 games, but he has not started since Sunday, sitting against three right-handed starters. Given the opportunity to pinch hit early Thursday morning, Taylor started a rally with a single in the bottom of the ninth. It was his only chance to help, and he did so.
“It’s definitely hard. I’ve had a conversation with him and I told him it’s a long season. He’s going to play,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Wednesday. “It just so happens right now we’re facing a guy who’s pretty good against right-handed hitters and we got a lot of good left-handed hitters so I told him just be prepared to play and help us win.”
When Taylor is hitting, he can do as much to help his team as anyone on the roster — which is why the Nationals have given him so many chances to find his way at the plate. And he has. After he hit .223 in April and .183 in May, he is hitting .444 in June, and attributes the jump to restoring his most natural setup before the pitch. Going back to what is most natural allows Taylor to get into the rhythm of his swing without thinking, allowing him to focus on pitch selection. The switch has worked.
He is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, tied for second among major league center fielders in defensive runs saved. He entered Wednesday night leading the majors with 21 stolen bases, a stat made more remarkable by the fact that he has reached base 20 fewer times than the two men immediately behind him, Trea Turner and Ender Inciarte.
Taylor has always been an elite base stealer. He stole 51 bases one year for Class A Potomac, displaying the necessary speed and requisite instinct throughout his minor league career. Last season, he reached base 137 times and stole 17 bases. This year, he has reached base 77 times and stolen 21.
Part of the difference, Taylor said, is Martinez’s managerial style. Martinez has given his speediest runners a near-perpetual green light to go when they see fit, and his team leads the National League in stolen bases.
“Our team this year and the way we run the bases is the most aggressive we’ve been,” Taylor said. “It’s definitely freed me up, and Davey has made it really easy on me to go out there and try to get a good jump and trust me in a lot of situations.”