TRACK RECORD: The Pirates drafted Taylor when he was 17 with the 51st overall pick in 2013 and traded him to the Mets one year later as part of the deal for Ike Davis. He largely scuffled in the low minors until he moved to the bullpen and vaulted up to Triple-A in 2019. The Astros acquired him after the season in the deal for Jake Marisnick. Taylor made his major league debut in 2020 and earned the trust of manager Dusty Baker to pitch crucial innings as the season progressed, appearing in eight of the Astros' 13 playoff games.

SCOUTING REPORT: Taylor sticks out as a lefty in a system full of righthanded power arms. He comes at hitters with a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97 with late cut that induces a lot of weak contact. His mid-80s slider is a solid-average pitch at its best when he keeps it at the bottom of the zone, though sometimes it flattens out and stays up, allowing hitters to do damage. He's primarily a two-pitch reliever with a below-average changeup he rarely throws. Taylor's control is below-average, but he was able to get out of sticky situations last year by drawing soft contact.

THE FUTURE: Taylor should return to a middle relief role in Houston in 2021. Better command will be key for him to stick.

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