After an injury-plagued 2022 season, Chris Taylor looked to get back on track in his eighth year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The utility man spent the previous offseason working on his swing with Dodgers hitting coaches and even took a trip to the data-driven Driveline Baseball training facility.
Taylor initially got off to a slow start but began to heat up in May, hitting .258/.343/.565 with five doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI over 15 games.
He then made history in June when he hit a grand slam against the Chicago White Sox for his 100th career home run. The 33-year-old became the first player to have both his first career home run and 100th come in the form of a grand slam.
Taylor’s momentum was halted when he sustained a knee injury in late June that required a three-week stint on the 10-day injured list.
He returned to the Dodgers in mid-July and immediately made an impact by hitting his second grand slam of the season in a 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Taylor remained healthy for the rest of the year and finished with a .237/.326/.420 batting line, 15 doubles, 15 home runs, 56 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 117 games. He went on to record one hit in six at-bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League Division Series.
Taylor was the Dodgers’ nominee for the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award, which is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
The honor ultimately went to New York Yankees MVP Aaron Judge.
Chris Taylor 2023 highlight
Taylor enjoyed his best performance of the season on May 28 against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he went 3-for-3 with a pair of game-tying solo home runs. However, L.A. dropped the game by a score of 11-10.
2024 outlook
Taylor is entering the third of a four-year, $60 million contract extension he signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2022 season. While he doesn’t have a set position heading into 2024, Taylor figures to still get consistent at-bats due to ability to play all over the field.
He received the majority of his reps in left field last season, but also played center field and every infield position with the exception of first base.
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