2 outs, bottom of the ninth inning, winning run(s) on base and you are at the plate with a chance to win the game and be the hero. That’s the moment that movies are made of and a moment that every kid dreams about. It’s also a moment that Chris Taylor got to live, but in real life.
WALKOFF AGAIN?
If that video caught you off guard a little, it’s because the Walkoff he hit against the Cardinals wasn’t his first. With 2 outs, bottom of the 9th inning and the bases loaded, Taylor and his Virginia Cavaliers were down 1 run to UC Irvine in 2011. That’s when Taylor delivered a 2 run single to win the game and send the Wahoo’s BACK to Omaha.
Fast forward to 2021 and it’s Deja Vu all over again
Taylors walkoff against the Cardinals gave the Dodgers their 107th win which is what it took to make a “regular” round of the playoffs. In typical Taylor fashion, he was excited, but certainly not overwhelmed and was in no way surprised at what he had done. After all, he had already done it once before, but the first time his team was losing, there were 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, and if he didn’t come through his team would have lost
If you’re a UC Irvine Anteater fan you’re having to take one for the team because there was no way around reliving that moment when featuring Chris Taylor.
Multi Sport Star
Taylor grew up a multi sport star and learned through early competitions how to how to handle the spotlight, how to control his emotions under pressure and also how to be humble with success. As a result, when Taylor hit the walkoff homerun for the Dodgers, it came as no surprise to people that have followed his career both as an amateur and a professional. It also came as no surprise that he handled the moment with such humility and had such an even keel about such a big moment.
Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Taylor was more than just a baseball star. He was also a standout wrestler and was good enough on the mat to win a Virginia Beach City Championship in Middle School. Wrestling at young ages develops skills that translate perfectly to baseball because you have to learn how to be very balanced, have quick reactions and lateral movements, and you have to be willing to put yourself in one on one situations with no one else to blame if you fail. Mental toughness and competitiveness are built in requirements not just simple luxuries in the sport of wrestling.
Although Taylor eventually stopped wrestling and focused on baseball in High School, his background as a grappler gave him several tools that have helped propel his career on the diamond.
Amateur Career
Taylor was recruited by the University of Virginia and had some huge moments and great achievements as a Cavalier. In 2011 Taylor had the walkoff single to send the Wahoo’s back to Omaha, and, combined, in his last 2 seasons at Virginia, he had 96 RBI’s in 127 games. As his amateur career had shown, coming up clutch and driving in runs is something he has always done and he was ready for his next challenge.
Coast to Coast
After the 2012 season Taylor was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 5th round and the former Frank W. Cox High Falcon was ready to make a career on the diamond.
Taylors career got off to a fast start as he was up in the Big Leagues by 2014, and in that year the former grappler had 136 at bats and had a batting average of .287.
After a really good auditioning campaign, the next year, 2015 started with high expectations. But those high expectations quickly turned into cold hard realizations that the game of baseball is one of the toughest challenges of all. In 2015, Taylor hit just .170 in 94 at bats with no homeruns and just 1 RBI. He also struck out 31 times that year and walked just 6. He backed that up in 2016 with a slightly better average at .213, but again, only hit 1 homerun in 61 at bats. After having such a good audition year in 2014, Taylor was now squarely at a Crossroads in his career and needed a fresh start.
Sleepless in Seattle
Taylor’s career was in need of a jump start, and when he was traded to the Dodgers on June 19 of 2016, that’s exactly what he got. Taylor was assigned to AAA OKC and began a relentless assault on the baseball and hit .368 with an On Base Percentage of .438 for the AAA Minor League affiliate. But, while he was scorching the earth in AAA, he was still chilly in the MLB as in 58 at bats for L.A., the talented Taylor hit just .207 with 1 homerun.
While Taylor had shown just how talented he was, he had only done it in flashes to this point in his career. He still needed to show that he could be consistent in the MLB, and, in 2017, things started rounding into form for the former Virginia State Player of the Year. Despite starting the year in AAA OKC, Taylor was recalled in April of 2017 and never looked back. He hit .288 with L.A., had 21 homeruns, 72 RBI’s and an OPS of .850. In 2018 Taylor had career highs in doubles, triples, and walks and was selected to represent the MLB in the 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series. .
2019 was another solid year for Taylor as he hit .260 with 12 homeruns, then, in 2020, he really took off. In 2020 Taylor hit .270 with an OPS of .842 and when he started 2021 hot he was named an N.L All Star. Taylor finished the 2021 Regular Season with a .261 average, 20 home runs, 73 RBI’s and had maybe the biggest moment of the year.
All Star Talent
Taylor is a player that has an immense amount of talent and ability. Being in close proximity to OKC I had the privilege to see most of his games while he was with the AAA club. After having seen him play a lot up close, he is the most impressive player I have seen come through AAA in a Dodger uniform. He hits the ball very hard, is a great athlete, can play anywhere from Short Stop to Center Field and simply has the clutch gene. When he gets hot he has the kind of ability to carry an offense so he is a very key piece to the Dodgers success. He has been a city Wide Wrestling Champion, Virginia’s 3A Player of the Year, A hero at a perennial College Baseball power, has already been placed in the University of Virginia’s baseball Hall of Fame and most recently has just hit his 2nd dramatic walkoff in his baseball career. As amazing as every new moment he creates is, it seems like he’s already done them before, and so it’s like it’s Deja Vu all over again.
