Taylor to Lehigh Valley
The Phillies have sent former Blueclaws OF and top prospect Michael Taylor to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. No surprise here…Taylor, who hit .345/19/88 between Lakewood and Clearwater last year, was hitting .333 with 15 HRs and 65 RBIs with Reading this year.
“He has a plan when he goes up there . . . and he’s got some ability,” said Phillies assistant general manager Benny Looper. “He’s got real good eye-hand coordination. He puts the ball in play.”
Taylor’s name has certainly come up in trade discussions as the Phillies maneuver to land a starting pitcher in advance of July 31st’s trade deadline.
“He’s pretty popular,” Phillies GM Ruben Amaro said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
Does Taylor go in a trade? Well, with Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, and Raul Ibanez entrenched in the Phillies lineup, and no place to DH Taylor in the National League, he’s perfect to trade. He could be an everyday outfielder for someone as soon as next spring.
Taylor was unranked in Baseball America’s Phillies top 30 in 2008, skyrocketed to #6 in 2009, and was recently ranked by BA to be #24 in all of baseball, and third in the Phillies system (Dominic Brown and Kyle Drabek).
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