Before bursting onto the season with an outstanding 2017 season, Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Chris Taylor had struggled to find his footing in the big leagues.
He played a handful of games with the Seattle Mariners in 2014 and 2015 but only had modest success both times. Taylor was traded to the Dodgers in 2016, where he also played a few games at the Major League level but continued to struggle.
Going into the 2017 season, Taylor knew he needed to make some big changes at the plate, so he completely overhauled his swing with current Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc to focus more on elevating the ball in the air.
Taylor didn’t make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster in 2017 but was the first position player called up and hasn’t played a game in the Minors since. He recently signed a two-year extension to stay with the organization for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
In an interview with teammate Ross Stripling on his Instagram Live show, Taylor detailed how difficult it was to overhaul his swing in one offseason but why he believes it was for the better:
“It was definitely scary. And I didn’t expect it to happen that quick, either. Going into Spring Training, I knew it was going to be tough for me to make the team. It was more of a long-term thing. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, this is what’s going to help me make the team.’ It was more like once I do get back to the big leagues, this is going to help me stay there. The immediate success, I had a great Spring Training that year, I didn’t make the team but I didn’t even start Triple-A. Because of my Spring Training, I got a quick call-up when a spot opened up.”
Since having the breakout season in 2017 when he batted .288/.354/.496 with 21 home runs, 85 runs scored and 72 RBI in 140 games, Taylor has settled in nicely as one of the Dodgers’ utility players due to his versatility in the field.
Having players like Taylor is one of the reasons the Dodgers consistently win their division and are a threat to win the World Series year in and year out. He is not the only player that has had a career resurgence in L.A. as Justin Turner and Max Muncy both have similar stories, making all of them very easy to root for.
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