Taylor’s value remains in Jack-of-all-trades role
GLENDALE, ARIZ. » This probably wasn’t Chris Taylor’s dream job.
At the University of Virginia, he was a shortstop. As he came up through the Seattle Mariners’ system, he was still a shortstop (with occasional visits to second base mixed in). When he made the majors with the Mariners briefly in 2014-16, 70 of his first 72 starts were at shortstop.
Then he was traded to the Dodgers — a felonyclass steal as it turns out (first-round bust Zach Lee went to Seattle) — and Taylor’s world expanded. He started playing more second base and a smattering of third base. In spring 2017, he was asked to learn to play the outfield, a locale he had only passing acquaintance with previously in his playing career.
Now Taylor is entering his fifth full season with the Dodgers having started games at six different positions, never fewer than four in any one season.
“I really don’t have a preference. The most important thing to me is playing,” Taylor said of finding a home at one position. “If I’m on the field, I’m happy. So whether I’m playing second base every day or shortstop every day or outfield or I’m playing all of those, I really just want to be on the field as much as I can be. And I know on this team playing every single day is not realistic with all the guys we have on our team. But whatever is gonna get me on the field as much as possible, that’s what I want.”
Taylor could have dreamed this winter of making second base his home in 2021. Top prospect Gavin Lux failed to claim the job in 2020 and by the end of the season, Taylor was the everyday second baseman. He started 14 of the Dodgers’ 18 postseason games at the position and his partner in utility, Kiké Hernandez, left for Boston as a free agent.
But this spring, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has said Lux will get a “good runway to play regularly.” Taylor said a meeting with Roberts this spring made it clear his role won’t change.
“I didn’t really know what to expect until I had that conversation with Doc,” Taylor said. “There’s no telling what’s gonna happen in a season. I feel like my role has always kind of been to play all over the field and I think that’s part of my value. So I understand why they would want me to stay in that role maybe.
“Like I said, there’s been times where guys have gotten hurt and then I have to play one position for a month or whatever the case is. I just told myself I’m going to be prepared to play all over. At the end of the day, Doc is the one who writes the lineup card. ... The way they see things right now or the way they envision things right now, I think they see me playing all over the field.”
Playing all over, Hernandez was a defensive plus at every position he visited. Taylor can’t match that but still remains an asset with an approach that he has modified over the years.
“I think when you’re first starting to do that, it’s easy to fall into the trap of you just want to be adequate,” Taylor said. “When you’re playing multiple positions, especially when you’re playing a spot that you haven’t played a ton of, it’s easy to tell yourself, ‘OK don’t make any mistakes. Just do enough to make the routine play.’ And I think what I’ve learned is if you try to take it to the next level, and try to be great everywhere, that’s a better mindset.
“I’ve always felt like if you are making aggressive mistakes that’s better than making passive ones.”
Roberts said the only thing that might change for Taylor this year is a little more exposure to third base. Taylor has started just seven games there with the Dodgers but he has been working there more often during spring training and will get some Cactus League action there this spring.
“He allows me the latitude to do a lot of other things and to give other guys runways. I just can’t speak enough about what value he brings for our ballclub particularly,” Roberts said of Taylor. “I like everything about him. I like the way he competes in the batter’s box, his production versus left, versus right, the baserunning, the versatility on defense . ... He’s just a huge asset for us.”
Still on track
Roberts said Cody Bellinger is “progressing really well” in his recovery from right shoulder surgery.
“He’s participating in all the fundamentals and all that stuff on the defensive side, baserunning, taking batting practice on the field now,” Roberts said of the center fielder/first baseman.
“Right now, it’s tracking really well. So, as he stated and as I stated, I expect him to be ready for Opening Day and that still remains the case.”