Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Michael A. Taylor was born March 26, 1991, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is a center fielder in the MLB.

Taylor opened the 2015 season as the Nationals' starting center fielder while Denard Span was on the disabled list. Despite starting the season well by sporting a .279 batting average, he was optioned to the Class-AAA Syracuse Chiefs on April 19 to make room on the active roster for Span. He was recalled on April 29 when Reed Johnson was placed on the disabled list. During an away game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 13, Taylor substituted for right fielder Bryce Harper after Harper was ejected in the seventh inning. In his first at-bat in the ninth inning, he came up with the bases loaded for the first time in his career and hit a go-ahead grand slam, effectively clinching the game for the Nationals.

In 2019 he batted .250/.305/.364 with one home run and three RBIs. In Game 2 of the 2019 World Series, Taylor hit a solo home run in the top of the 9th, becoming the 39th player to homer in their first ever World Series at-bat.

In 2021, Taylor batted .244/.297.356 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs while playing a career-high 142 games. He won a Gold Glove Award as a center fielder, having led all AL center fielders with 11 assists and ranked third with 351 putouts and a .992 fielding percentage.

On January 23, 2023, Taylor was traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor league pitchers Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk.