Diamondbacks draft Grambling State’s Taylor

GRAMBLING, La. - Grambling State University senior shortstop Marshawn Taylor was selected on Wednesday in the 28th round with the 849th pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft.

The selection by the Diamondbacks marked the second straight year Grambling State had a player drafted.

Tanner Raiburn was selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by the Boston Red Sox in the 33rd Round.

He was taken with the 1,001st overall pick and was the first Tiger to be drafted since Edwin Drexler was selected in the 2015 MLB Draft in the 38th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Taylor, who spent two seasons in the Black and Gold, earned several accolades, including being named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Player of the Year, Hitter of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in 2017.

He is a two-time All-SWAC First Team shortstop and earned AllSWAC Tournament Team honors after Grambling State finished runner-up to Texas Southern in the 2018 Baseball Tournament.

At the plate this season, Taylor batted a team-best .404 in 218 at-bats.

He played and started in all 52 games at shortstop, where he tallied 88 hits, including five doubles and three triples. Taylor scored 50 times and drove in 44 runners.

The Chicago native was extremely patient at the plate by drawing 25 walks and was 20-of-24 in stolen base attempts.