The Mariners and catcher Beau Taylor are in settlement on a minor league deal, in accordance with Taylor’s MLB.com profile page.
The deal marks a return to affiliated ball for the 34-year-old journeyman. Taylor was chosen by the A’s within the fifth spherical of the 2011 draft however didn’t make his huge league debut with the membership till 2018, when he slashed .200/.333/.400 in a seven-game cup of espresso with Oakland. Taylor spent the following two seasons bouncing between the A’s in addition to each Toronto and Cleveland as a depth choice behind the plate, showing in simply 18 huge league video games throughout that point. The catcher’s 7-game stint in Cleveland through the shortened 2020 season represents his most up-to-date huge league expertise.
Since then, Taylor has frolicked within the Reds, A’s, and Orioles organizations on the minor league stage, most just lately batting a good .222/.365/.368 in 50 video games break up between Oakland and Baltimore’s Triple-A associates through the 2022 season. Taylor departed affiliated ball final 12 months in favor of signing with the Atlantic League’s Excessive Level Rockers and loved a powerful season in indy ball. Beau appeared in 77 video games, catching 61, and slashed a powerful .291/.386/.453 with 9 homers and 16 doubles in 316 journeys to the plate.
Evidently, that efficiency was sufficient to earn Taylor a minor league pact with the Mariners. The chance gives Taylor one other crack at establishing himself in affiliated ball, whereas the Mariners profit from shoring up their upper-level catching depth. Cal Raleigh is the membership’s on a regular basis starter behind the plate with Seby Zavala and Mitch Haniger additionally on the membership’s lively roster.
That being stated, Haniger has operated as a full-time DH thus far within the season, and Michael Papierski was the one different catcher within the group with huge league expertise previous to the membership’s acquisition of Taylor. On condition that, Taylor gives the Mariners with further insurance coverage towards an harm to Raleigh or Zavala ought to one of many membership’s youthful catchers, reminiscent of Blake Hunt or Harry Ford, not but be able to make the leap to the main leagues.
