As Chris Taylor prepares to head into a regular season in which his versatility and production may be all the more imperative for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is among the players in camp enjoying a successful Spring Training.
Taylor added to that with a 1-for-2 effort in Saturday’s tie with the San Diego Padres at Peoria Sports Complex. He hit a solo home run, drew a walk and scored two runs.
“I think Spring Training, a lot of it is you kind of see where you’re at with all the work you put in during the offseason,” Taylor said. “First time getting in game action and getting live ABs, it kind of tells you where you are.
“It’s encouraging to play well and it kind of encourages everything you’ve done in the offseason. It’s re-assuring to know you’re in a good spot and the hard work you put in is paying off.”
Taylor is now batting .393/.469/.893 with five doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and four walks in 11 Cactus League games.
To Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Taylor is in a better place after what he felt was somewhat of a down 2020 season. “I felt last year he was just OK. I think he’s a guy that’s dependable, heck of a ballplayer, but I think he worked through things this winter and cleaned some things up,” Roberts explained.
“This is a byproduct of what he did all winter.”
Should Taylor continue to swing a hot bat into the regular season, it will further lengthen the Dodgers lineup. He’s expected to make starts at second base, shortstop and left field. Roberts also said Taylor is an option at third base when Edwin Rios does not backup Justin Turner.
Taylor feels burden lifted, same focus for Dodgers
Several Dodgers players have acknowledged winning the World Series last year brought about a sense of relief along with the joy. Taylor echoed that sentiment, but also emphasized the team maintains the same level of focus and determination.
“It was definitely a weight off the back. Being able to finally win the last game of a season was something I hadn’t done at any level,” Taylor said.
“So after getting there twice and not being able to come out on top, to finally do it made it that much sweeter. I think we were all happy. Not only for ourselves but for the entire city of Los Angeles. We knew how big that was for L.A. It felt really good.”
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