31-year-old Michael Anthony Taylor was born on March 26, 1991, he is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals (MLB).
The Washington Nationals selected Taylor in the sixth round (172nd overall) in the 2009 MLB draft, and he made his MLB debut in 2014.
Taylor was drafted as a shortstop out of Westminster Academy in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals with their sixth-round choice. He turned down a scholarship offer from the University of North Florida to join the Nationals.
Taylor didn’t make his minor league debut in 2009, but he was a versatile infielder for the Gulf Coast League Nationals in 2010, making 21 errors across three positions: shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman. He appeared in 38 games, batted.195, and hit one home run.
Taylor was placed on outright waivers by the Nationals after batting.196/.253/.424 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 38 games during the truncated 2020 season.
The organization announced on October 15, 2020, that he had cleared waivers and opted for free agency rather than accepting a minor league assignment.
Taylor batted.244/.297.356 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs in 142 games in 2021, a career-best. As a center fielder, he won a Gold Glove Award and a Fielding Bible Award after leading all AL center fielders with 11 assists and ranking third with 351 putouts and a.992 fielding percentage.