Padres Newest Reserve Outfielder Is Providing Some Badly-Needed High Energy
· Yahoo Sports
The San Diego Padres have been desperately searching for offense during their extended slump, but we're also at the point in the season where productive outfielders can be tough to find. Expectations were low when the Padres called up outfielder Samad Taylor, but he's been exceeding those expectations by quite a bit.
“The first thing [manager] Craig [Stammen] said when I got back up here was: ‘Continue to be yourself,’” Taylor said this week after his game-tying single set up Fernando Tatis Jr.'s walk-off home rn against the Cincinnati Reds in an article written by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “It was like they’re giving me the OK to be that player that plays with my hair on fire.”
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Taylor is being asked to help replace Ramon Laureano, who is now out for the season as he undergoes hip surgery. Taylor been more vocal than the Padres expected, and in an upbeat way, according to Stammen.
“He’s a player that’s had to work for everything that he’s gotten,” Stammen said. “A small guy with speed. He’s going to play that kind of game. And him in the dugout, it didn’t matter what the score was, what the situation of the game was -- he’s up and down the dugout, talking, pumping guys up like he’d been here all year.”
In a way, Taylor has nothing to lose. He's a 27-year old journeyman who has already played for four other organizations, with those being the Cleveland Guardians, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals, and Seattle Mariners. He's never had a chance to settle in anywhere, as speed isn't as valued as it used to be.
Fellow outfielder Fernando Tatís Jr. has also been supplying speed at the top of the order, and he talked up Taylor as well.
“He’s been balling, man,” said Tatis. “I’m so happy for him. … He’s been a huge spark. He’s brought a lot of energy, made a lot of really good plays -- defensively, offensively.”
First baseman Ty France is yet another Taylor fan. He played in the same youth system as Taylor in the San Gabriel Valley, and they also trained in the same facility, then became teammates with the Mariners.
“I’ve followed his career since the moment we started working out together,” France said. “That’s kind of been his style his whole life. He’s an explosive player. He moves the ball around the field. He just makes things happen.
“So him doing what he’s doing right now -- I’ve seen it before. Obviously, it’s fun to watch. But I’m not surprised.”
What the Padres really need now is power, but Taylor has a genuine opportunity here. San Diego just released outfielder Bryce Johnson, and if Taylor can provide more offense than Johnson did, he could be sticking around to the point where he finds a home.