Last year, the White Sox used their second-round pick on Arkansas starter Peyton Pallette, even though he had missed just about the entire 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery.
By drafting LSU's Grant Taylor in the second round this time around, we can safely say that scar doesn't scare the Sox.
Taylor missed the entire 2023 season after having surgery to repair his torn UCL in February, and unlike Pallette, he didn't even accrue experience as a starter. He pitched 31 innings over 17 appearances for the Tigers as a freshman in 2022, and the numbers didn't really impress (5.81 ERA, 39 strikeouts against 21 walks).
That said, he put himself on the precipice of a leap with an outstanding showing in the Cape Cod League that summer, followed by a fall that put him on track to be a key member of LSU's rotation and a potential first-round pick. Instead, Paul Skenes got that kind of boost, and Taylor had to settle for the second round instead.
What's Grant Taylor's game?
Another way Taylor is like Pallette: He throws 93-95 with a curveball, and both play up due to high spin rates. He also throws a cutter and a slider, but a changeup has never been part of his arsenal.
At 6-3 and 230 pounds, Taylor has a much bigger build than Pallette, although since they both had surgery and Pallette hasn't spent a full year starting, you can't make the natural deduction that it leads to greater durability.
That's one question. The other is command, which greatly improved at the Cape. He struck out 30 against just two walks over 21 innings for Brewster, and throwing four-plus innings an outing showed that he had the potential to maintain his stuff deeper into game.
He has his fans ...
The @whitesox got a damn good one in @LSUbaseball RHP Grant Taylor. Thought Taylor could drop a little and end up back at #LSU in the NIL era. Now, he will definitely sign. Missed 2023, but was LSU's best arm in the fall outside of Skenes. Filthy fastball w/ nasty life.…
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 10, 2023
... and the White Sox probably have to be fans, too. He's a draft-eligible sophomore, so he has some leverage in going back to the draft that the typical junior entry doesn't have.
Where did Grant Taylor rank?
- Baseball America: 80
- Keith Law: 94
- ESPN: 98
- MLB.com: 102
What does Grant Taylor look like?
Grant Taylor (2023 Eligible) @LSUbaseball @WhitecapsCCBL shoved at Y-D going 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 12 K. Taylor sat 93-94 mph, T95 mph w/ 17-18 inches of IVB & 11-12 inches of HB on his FF. Mixed a hammer CB at 77-78 mph w/ 2500+ rpm, -20+ inches of drop, showed CT, SL, CHG #BACape22 pic.twitter.com/HiOxjHsZ02
— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) July 13, 2022
