A’s: Catcher Beau Taylor, back from suspension, impressing.
MESA, Ariz. — Last spring, Beau Taylor was not in the A’s big-league camp for the first time in five years as a dark cloud hung over the catcher’s career for violating baseball’s drug rules.
The way Taylor handled his punishment, a 50-game suspension, was so impressive, however, that the A’s re-signed him as a minor-league free agent this winter. Now, he’s right back in big-league camp with a pitching staff that absolutely loves him. Among the six catchers at Hohokam Stadium, he might be the most beloved by the men on the mound.
“Beau develops such a good relationship with pitchers,” reliever Bobby Wahl said, “that when you’re out there, it’s almost relaxing.”
While serving his suspension, Taylor, 28, spent last spring and the first 1½ months of the season working hard at the A’s minor-league camp and extended spring training, often the first man to arrive and last to leave. He spent countless hours catching some of the organization’s youngest pitchers.
“Beau was just jumping in and being the kind of person who did whatever it took during that long suspension,” A’s director of player development Keith Lieppman said. “That’s a heck of a long time to spend here. It’s an amazing story to go from there last year to bigleague camp this year. It’s unfortunate what he went through, but sometimes those situations make you a lot stronger and make you appreciate what you have.”
Catching a bunch of kids straight from rookie ball, many of them on the wild side, improved Taylor’s game, along with his maturity level.
“It helped me because they were looking up to me,” Taylor said. “I was sort of like a big brother to them, but I had to be on my toes — some of them throw hard and you don’t know where it’s going all the time. That made me a better catcher. I get comfortable with all these good pitchers we have up here in big-league camp, when I don’t even move my glove.”
Mortified by his suspension, Taylor also began to take better care of himself. He modified his diet, largely cutting out carbs, and he took up yoga. He’s much more careful about getting enough sleep and maintaining proper hydration.
He was forced to grow up after being popped for using Adderall, an amphetamine which is often OKd for use for players with ADHD. Taylor, who did not have a medical exemption, didn’t deny he knowingly took the drug.
“It was a mistake — a bad mistake,” he said. “When it happened a lot of people were pretty mad at me, like, ‘How can you do this?’ But they thought I’d done a hard-core drug or something. I took Adderall. I know — it was dumb.
“It was the biggest learning experience. I took a step back and realized I really, really want to play ball. I really want to do this for myself and my family and show the A’s I can do this.”
That he did: Once Taylor’s suspension was over he went to Double-A Midland — for the sixth year in a row — and he hit .309 in 21 games before finally, at age 27, getting his first promotion to Triple-A.
“I’m pretty sure I have the most games at catcher in Midland history,” Taylor said. “It was a grind. They were always calling me ‘the Mayor of Midland’ and stuff and I’m like, ‘Don’t say that.’ ... I get discounts all over the place in Midland, it’s like, ‘Oh, hey, Beau Taylor!’ ”
Once at Triple-A Nashville, Taylor kept up the pace, hitting .289 and continuing to draw praise from the pitchers.
“Beau knows me so well, it’s like he’s not even calling pitches,” Wahl said. “There are times he just looks at me and it’s like, ‘OK, fastball.’ And when I throw breaking balls in the dirt I’m very confident he’ll put his throat on the line and get in front of it. You know nothing is going to get to the backstop. And he throws great.”
The front office had no qualms about bringing Taylor back, despite the suspension, and now Taylor — 3-for-5 this spring and the only left-handed hitting catcher in camp besides Bruce Maxwell — is a dark horse to help in Oakland at some point.
“The staffs at Double-A and Triple-A have raved about Beau’s work with the pitchers, and his growth behind the plate,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “It’s taken a while for him to work his way through the system but Beau is someone we still believe could contribute in the big leagues.”