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It was a huge night for Grant Taylor on Tuesday, as the Chicago White Sox pitching prospect made his Major League debut in phenomenal form. The 23-year-old righthander retired all three batters he faced in the 7th inning on only 10 pitches, in a 4-2 Sox win over the Houston Astros. He hit the speed gun at over 100 mph several times in the inning, reportedly touching 101.5 on his very first pitch.
Taylor joined the Pale Hose this week, after making the jump from Double-A Birmingham, where he posted a 1.01 ERA, along with 37 strikeouts in 15 appearances. After the game, he commented on his first-ever MLB performance.
“First call to the bullpen, a little bit of nerves. But by the time I was running in they had kind of gone away,” Taylor said, “Just playing ball again. Halfway through that first at-bat, came back for a second. And then settled down.”
“I’ve established the fastball pretty well this year. All my off-speed has been really good. My cutter has been something I can rely on a lot of the time this year. Curveball has been great, slider has been good. It’s a little bit different. Not as planned out. You don’t have the five days’ rest. It’s the same job, just shorter stints.”
Chicago White Sox Impressed by Taylor’s Effective Outing
During his brief appearance, Taylor certainly showed Sox management what the future could look like. After the victory, Chicago manager Wil Venable discussed the young stars’ debut.
“[We’re] very excited about Grant,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Saw him in Spring Training, the stuff is very good. Made the transition to a reliever. Will be using him out of the ‘pen here. Find some spots for him here over the next couple of days and see how his role evolves.”
Standing 6’3” and weighing 230 pounds, Taylor’s future may be as a frontline starter, but he will likely spend most of the rest of this season as a reliever. However, with the White Sox currently 20.5 games out of first place and in rebuilding mode, anything is possible with the team as their season fades away.
Taylor Quickly Became One of MLB’s Most Promising Prospects
By starting the year in Double-A ball, Grant Taylor was supposed to be on track for a 2026. He fell into the category of minor leaguers who are believed to be ‘a year away’. However, his performance with Birmingham essentially forced the big club to call him up early. And if his first outing is any indication, he will remain with the Sox for the remainder of this season.
An alumnus of Louisiana State University, Taylor went 4-1 for the Tigers before missing an entire season due to an injury that forced him to have Tommy John surgery. However, he showed enough promise that Chicago selected him in the second round of MLB’s Competitive Balance Draft. He was ranked as the number
Fans of the South Siders will be watching Taylor the rest of the way. He entered the season as the No. 6 prospect in the organization, but his stock is rising quickly. His journey in the Major Leagues will take another step forward as the White Sox take on Houston in the second game of a three-game series.
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