By ERIC G. STARK, Sports Writer
Looking at his 6-foot-6-inch, 250-pound frame, it's easy to see Michael Taylor's strength and miss his intellect.
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The Philadelphia Phillies' sixth-best prospect (according to Baseball America magazine) is a well-educated, highly articulate 23-year-old, who peppers his speech with words like "advantageous," "conjecture" and "thus" — not the customary baseball jargon.
It's a thinking man's game, and Taylor believes his mind makes him a good hitter. He ranks in the Eastern League's top three in the Triple Crown categories. As of July 2, Taylor leads the league with a .350 batting average, is second in the league with 58 RBIs and is tied for second in home runs with 15. The outfielder, who bats third for the Class AA Reading Phils, also leads the league in hits (96) and slugging percentage (.606), is third in extra-base hits (36) and is tied for fourth in on-base percentage (.414).
The linebacker-size slugger also has 14 steals and six outfield assists (he had 18 last year) and was named a 2009 Eastern League All-Star. His statistics indicate he's on a fast track to the majors.
"It'd be lying if I said I didn't think about [the majors], because I get reminded during interviews," Taylor said Thursday before playing Altoona. "But I have a job here. That stuff is fun to think about, but when it gets closer to game time, you want to hone in on your objective, and that is to beat this club tonight."
The Stanford University product graduated sixth in his high school class at Apopka, Fla., and was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round in 2007. He struggled initially in pro ball at the short-season Class A Williamsport, hitting just .227, though he showed signs of greatness, hitting .322 in August of that season. He said his early struggles were a valuable experience.
Taylor has abused pitchers ever since. Splitting time last season between low Class A Lakewood and high Class A Clearwater, Taylor hit .346 with 19 home runs and 88 RBI. For his minor league career, he has a .308 average, with 223 hits, 25 home runs, 121 RBIs, 106 runs and 23 steals.
Taylor's approach to hitting is cognitive: He thinks about what pitchers are going to throw, and tries to capitalize on their mistakes.
So what's the game plan?
"Well, that depends on the situation, the pitcher, the night, the team, what league we are playing," Taylor said. "You have to have a good idea of what someone is going to try and do to you because people are too talented at this level to just go up there and hack. There may be some freaks that can just do that, but I can just tell you that I'm not one of them.
"Until I get to two strikes, I'm going to try to put a quality swing on what I'm looking for, and if I can do that, I feel I have a chance to really be successful."
It doesn't always work.
"I've had nights and games when I'm a pitch behind the pitcher, where I didn't think that sequence was coming," Taylor said. "You tip your cap to the pitcher because he was ahead of you. You tip your cap not only for the execution of physical stuff, but for the execution of the mental stuff."
One of the knocks on Taylor is his lack of a power swing. For a guy his size, some say he should hit more home runs. But that's not Taylor's game.
"I'm satisfied with hits," he said. "I'm not a home run guy; I never will be. That's not who I am as a player.
"I'm up there attempting to square the ball up. Now if that's a chopper up the middle, or a single to right, or a double down the line or a home run ... I think [home runs] will come. ... I'm not going to go up there and have two singles and be upset or try to hit a home run; I'm going to keep doing the same things I've been doing."
So far so good.
Eric G. Stark is a Sunday News sports writer. E-mail him at estark@lnpnews.com.
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