June 19 marks the anniversary of the Los Angeles Dodgers acquiring utility man Chris Taylor from the Seattle Mariners. In exchange for the versatile Taylor, the Dodgers traded once highly-regarded pitching prospect Zach Lee.
The Dodgers selected Lee 28th overall in the stacked 2010 MLB Draft. Other notable names from that draft class include Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Chris Sale, Christian Yelich and Yasmani Grandal.
Lee would have likely been taken higher than 28th, but it’s believed that his commitment to play football at Louisiana State University caused him to slide to the end of the first round. When the Dodgers offered a franchise-record $5.25 million signing bonus, however, Lee chose to forgo the gridiron and pursue a career on the diamond.
Though Lee showed flashes of promise in the Dodgers’ Minor League system, he never performed to the expected level. In his lone appearance with the Dodgers at the big league level, he surrendered a whopping seven earned runs to the New York Mets over 4.2 innings.
Lee became the first Dodgers pitcher to allow seven runs in his debut since Johnny Babich did so in 1934.
Upon being traded to Los Angeles in 2016, Taylor went on to become an integral piece of the Dodgers’ success. From his leadoff home run in Game 1 of the 2017 World Series to his series-saving catch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2018 National League Championship Series, Taylor has made plenty of highlights.
Taylor also delivered a walk-off home run for the Dodgers in the 2021 NL Wild Card Game.
Even when putting his big plays aside, Taylor’s value has was proven through his versatility and consistency. Throughout his tenure with the Dodgers, Taylor played six different positions, held his own in multiple spots in the lineup and only once missed significant time due to injury.
Taylor’s career with the Dodgers came to an end when he was released in May 2025. He went on to retire roughly one year late.
Ruth coaches for Dodgers
Also on this day in Dodgers history, Babe Ruth was in uniform for his first game as first base coach. Ruth had his sights on managing, but instead had a brief coaching career with Brooklyn.
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