TYRONE TAYLOR, OF

Position: OF

B/T: R/R

Age: 30 (02/02/1993)

2023 Traditional Stats: 81 G, 231 AB, .234/.267/.446, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 36 R, 9 SB

2023 Advanced Stats: 0.5 bWAR, 91 OPS+, 4.1 HR%, 39.5 HardH%, .212 ISO, 87.4 EV

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

RUNDOWN

The Mets made a crafty trade on Wednesday, adding Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser for the Mets’ 29th prospect Coleman Crow. With the addition, Taylor projects as the Mets’ fourth outfielder, having experience playing every outfield position and grading above average in center field as recently as 2022. Taylor also gives the Mets a right-handed compliment in the outfield that currently consists of two left-handers in Brandon Nimmo and DJ Stewart, who does not grade well defensively in any outfield position. In addition, Taylor has hit 41 career home runs in 895 at-bats, offering some pop, a solid glove, and some above-average speed, which the 2023 Mets lacked.

DEEPER LOOK

Taylor offers speed and power, as well as plus defense. Still, Taylor comes with flaws. He strikes out at a nearly 23% clip over his career, paired with a 5.5% walk rate. However, despite high strikeout and low walk numbers, he has never run an ISO under .200 in any of his seasons since 2019. So what you have is a very aggressive hitter, who when he gets a hold of a mistake, will put a charge into it. Taylor, for someone with speed, doesn’t pound the ball into the ground. He finished with a 33.3 groundball percentage in 2023, which was the lowest of his career. Meanwhile, he got his line drive average to 25.4 percent, nearly matching his career high from the 2020 COVID-shortened season.

When Taylor does reach base, he offers something the Mets rarely had in the 2023 season. Someone willing to steal a base with a very high success rate. In his career, Taylor has stolen 18 bases and has only been caught three times. In the 2023 season, Taylor stole nine bases and wasn’t caught once. So, if Taylor can manage to get on base, he should have the green light to take some bases and put pressure on the other team with his speed.

Despite being known for speed and defense, Taylor provides occasional pop. He averaged an 87.4 MPH EV on the 2023 season, near the league average of 88.4 MPH, maxing out at 110.8 MPH. He routinely keeps a fairly solid launch angle at 16.6 degrees, allowing him to get some loft under the ball. Plus, with his 6’1″, 218 LB frame, he should be able to put some balls over the fence at Citi Field. Taylor also is not a dead-pull hitter, showing a willingness to go with what the pitcher serves him.

CONTRACT

Taylor is projected to receive $1.6 million in his first year of arbitration. A fourth outfielder at nearly a third of the cost of the Tommy Pham contract for last season is a very prudent move.

Taylor also will be a low-cost outfielder for the foreseeable future. He is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason and won’t be a free agent until 2027.

Conclusion

Getting Taylor (and Houser) for a prospect who most likely won’t pitch in the 2024 season is a massive plus. At the projected salary, and in hopes of not being overexposed to pitching, there is no reason Taylor can’t offer a close-to-league average OPS and offer plus defense, allowing Brandon Nimmo to slide over to left field or right field on some days while also hedging against Starling Marte, who has been deemed healthy and is awaiting permission from the Mets to play in the Dominican Winter League.

While Taylor may not be where the Mets stop in regards to their outfield pursuits, he would make a solid fourth outfielder and a much cheaper option than Michael A. Taylor, who the Mets were interested in recently. Taylor can also allow Jeff McNeil to play second base more frequently, possibly keeping him in the zone and to be able to return to his 2022 batting title form.

In a worst-case scenario, Taylor serves as solid depth at Triple-A, awaiting the call to the big leagues. However, he has all of the things the Mets have been looking for in a fourth outfielder: the ability to play all three positions, some power, and a right-handed hitter to balance out their roster.