Zac
Taylor

6/6/18 - Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 36th round out of Illinois.

Transferred to Illinois from Houston. 

6.13.13 - Athletic body, 6-foot-2, 175-pound two-way player. On the mound delivery showed regular effort, closed balance point. Arm works from a ¾ slot, long loose arm action. Fastball has slight run and sink, showed solid control, 83-85 mph, touched 86 mph. Curveball has 11/5 shape, slurve action, 69-70 mph. Change up has sink and fading action, 74-75 mph. Defensively worked uphill, 78 mph arm from the outfield, 6.7 runner. Offensively uses leg kick trigger, pull side approach, 81 mph exit velocity from the tee.

10/23/12 - Taylor is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound right handed pitcher. Taylor operates from a ¾ arm slot which generates solid movement to his arm side. His arm action is long and fluid, while his delivery stays balanced throughout, keeping his head on line. Taylor showed the ability to throw three pitches for strikes. His fastball sat at 80-83 mph while exhibiting arm side run in the strike zone. He also showed a two seam variation that showed the same velocity with slightly better movement and command. Taylor’s changeup is also a strike pitch, it showed some sink in the zone at 69-72 mph. Taylor also showcased a breaking ball that showed solid action when working on a 10/4 plane. He controlled the pitch well at 68-71 mph. Taylor is a solid pitcher with feel for three pitches in the zone, showing strong sink as well.

3/7/18 - 6’1/195, Junior. Put on a spectacular defensive show in centerfield. Ran down balls over his head and to both gaps. His highlight was a full dive and catch on a sure double in the left-center gap.  He also showed a fringy arm and plus run speed underway. Offensively, he’s strong with above average bat speed. His pull heavy approach with an around the ball swing got the best of him as he went 2-for-13 on the weekend. He is a potential Day 3 pick. Where he’s ultimately selected will be highly based on his signability. He could gain value by making an adjustment to hitting the ball where pitched and using all fields.

9-20-2018: Drafted in the 36th round by the Minnesota Twins this past June, Taylor returned to the Illini for his 5th-year senior season. He displayed similar tools as last spring with the ability to play center field with above average range and a near average arm. At the plate he took good passes, hammering a couple balls with exit velocities of 104 and 106 mph. Taylor should remain on many scout’s draft lists as a later round senior pick in 2019. (Seifert)