Brien Taylor
Encyclopedia
Brien M. Taylor is a former pitcher
in minor league baseball
best known for being just the second amateur player to be picked first overall in the Major League Baseball Draft and never reach the major leagues
. The first was Steve Chilcott
, in 1966.
, to parents Willie Ray, who worked as a mason, and Bettie, who was a crab picker at the local seafood plant. He was the second of four children, named for the lead character in the movie Brian's Song
. Taylor attended East Carteret High School. In his senior season, Taylor threw 88 innings, striking out 213 hitters while walking 28. His fastball often hit 98 and 99 mph. In 2006, Scott Boras
claimed that Taylor was the best high school pitcher he had seen in his life.
In 1991 Taylor was drafted by the New York Yankees
first overall. He was offered $300,000 to sign a minor league contract, the typical amount given to #1 draft choices at that time. However, agent Boras (acting as an "advisor," because unsigned players were not allowed to have an agent at that time) advised the Taylor family that the previous year's top-rated high school pitcher, Todd Van Poppel
, was given more than $1.2 million to sign with the Oakland Athletics
, giving up a scholarship to the University of Miami
in the process. The Taylors held out for "Van Poppel money," even though they had less leverage because Brien's poor grades in high school prevented him from getting a major college scholarship offer. They then used Louisburg College
, a local junior college, as leverage to get the Yankees to agree to their terms. The Yankees were without the official services of owner George Steinbrenner
, who was serving a suspension at the time, but through the media, Steinbrenner said that if the Yankees let Taylor get away, they should be "shot."
Taylor was signed for $1.55 million the day before his classes were set to begin. Further delay would have meant the deal could not be signed until after the school year ended, which coincided with the following year's draft.
, Taylor would be ready for the big leagues at the age of 19. However they found he needed a better move to first base to hold base runners. In 1992 he was 6-8 for the Class-A Advanced Fort Lauderdale Yankees
, but with a 2.57 earned run average
and with 187 strikeouts in 161 innings. The next year as a 21-year-old with the Double-A Albany-Colonie Yankees, Taylor went 13-7 with a 3.48 ERA and with 150 strikeouts in 163 innings. He also led the Eastern League with 102 walks. Nonetheless, Baseball America
named him the game's best prospect and he was expected to pitch for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers
of the International League
in 1994, and start for the Yankees in 1995. The Yankees had asked Taylor to report to an instructional league so he could spend the winter of 1993-94 working on fundamentals. However Taylor declined the Yankees' request, claiming he was tired from the pressure of the season. He said he needed the rest and chose to remain near his North Carolina home.
On December 18, 1993 the normally mild-mannered Taylor suffered a dislocated left shoulder and torn labrum while defending his brother Brenden in a fistfight. The New York Times
reported that Brenden confronted a man named Ron Wilson, who he had fought with in Harlowe, North Carolina. Brenden suffered head lacerations in his fight with Wilson. Once Brien found out his brother had been hurt, he and a cousin went to Wilson's trailer home to confront him. There, Taylor got into an altercation with Jamie Morris, Wilson's friend, and Taylor fell on his shoulder. According to Wilson, Taylor attempted to throw a haymaker at Morris, and missed, which caused the injury.
In the hours following the altercation Boras told reporters the injury was a bruise. However when the Yankees had Taylor visit Dr. Frank Jobe, he called the injury one of the worst he'd seen. Jobe, a well-known orthopedic surgeon, repaired a torn capsule and a torn labrum in Taylor's shoulder. Initially Jobe told Taylor that he would throw again with similar velocity and that his shoulder might even be more durable. However, he was never the same pitcher again. When he returned after surgery, he had lost 8 mph off his fastball and was unable to throw a curveball for a strike. He was at Double-A before the incident but spent the bulk of the remainder of his professional baseball career struggling at Single-A. Taylor was able to get his fastball back into the low to mid 90's, and he had also filled out, gaining 35 pounds from when he first signed, however he had control problems.
In 1995 he pitched for the Yankees Gulf Coast League team
, and walked 54 batters in 40 innings. In 1996 he pitched for the Single-A Greensboro Bats, and walked 43 batters in innings, going 0-5 with an 18.73 ERA. At Greensboro again in 1997, he walked 52 batters in 27 innings, going 1-4 with a 14.33 ERA.
He was released by the Yankees at the end of the 1998 season, and pitched for minor league affiliates of the Seattle Mariners
and Cleveland Indians
until retiring in 2000. In his final stint with the Indians' Columbus affiliate in 2000, he gave up 5 hits, 9 walks, and 11 runs (8 earned) in innings.
and worked as a UPS package handler and later a beer distributor. He is the father of five daughters. By 2006, he had moved back home and was working as a bricklayer with his father. Taylor still lives with his parents, at the end of a street named after him, in a two-story brick and frame house that he built using his signing bonus.
In January 2005, police charged Taylor with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly leaving four of his children (ages from 2 to 11) alone for more than eight hours. He didn't show up for his court date, and at one point there were four outstanding warrants for his arrest. According to financial records filed in a child support application, he makes $909 per month.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
in minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
best known for being just the second amateur player to be picked first overall in the Major League Baseball Draft and never reach the major leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. The first was Steve Chilcott
Steve Chilcott
Steven Lynn Chilcott is a former baseball catcher from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California, who was drafted by the New York Mets as the first overall pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, a spot ahead of Reggie Jackson...
, in 1966.
Early life and MLB draft
Taylor was born in Beaufort, North CarolinaBeaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...
, to parents Willie Ray, who worked as a mason, and Bettie, who was a crab picker at the local seafood plant. He was the second of four children, named for the lead character in the movie Brian's Song
Brian's Song
Brian's Song is a 1971 ABC Movie of the Week that recounts the details of the life of Brian Piccolo , a Wake Forest University football player stricken with terminal cancer after turning pro, told through his friendship with Chicago Bears running back teammate and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gale...
. Taylor attended East Carteret High School. In his senior season, Taylor threw 88 innings, striking out 213 hitters while walking 28. His fastball often hit 98 and 99 mph. In 2006, Scott Boras
Scott Boras
Scott Boras is an American sports agent, specializing in baseball. He is the founder, owner and president of the Boras Corporation, a sports agency based in Newport Beach, Calif. that represents roughly 175 professional baseball clients, including many of the game's highest-profile players...
claimed that Taylor was the best high school pitcher he had seen in his life.
In 1991 Taylor was drafted by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
first overall. He was offered $300,000 to sign a minor league contract, the typical amount given to #1 draft choices at that time. However, agent Boras (acting as an "advisor," because unsigned players were not allowed to have an agent at that time) advised the Taylor family that the previous year's top-rated high school pitcher, Todd Van Poppel
Todd Van Poppel
Todd Matthew Van Poppel is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Oakland Athletics , Detroit Tigers , Texas Rangers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Chicago Cubs , and Cincinnati Reds...
, was given more than $1.2 million to sign with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, giving up a scholarship to the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in the process. The Taylors held out for "Van Poppel money," even though they had less leverage because Brien's poor grades in high school prevented him from getting a major college scholarship offer. They then used Louisburg College
Louisburg College
Louisburg College is a private two-year college located in Louisburg, North Carolina. The Methodist-affiliated college claims that 90 percent of its graduates move on to four-year institutions...
, a local junior college, as leverage to get the Yankees to agree to their terms. The Yankees were without the official services of owner George Steinbrenner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
, who was serving a suspension at the time, but through the media, Steinbrenner said that if the Yankees let Taylor get away, they should be "shot."
Taylor was signed for $1.55 million the day before his classes were set to begin. Further delay would have meant the deal could not be signed until after the school year ended, which coincided with the following year's draft.
Minor leagues and fist fight
Initially, the Yankees had hoped that like Dwight GoodenDwight Gooden
Dwight Eugene Gooden , nicknamed "Doc Gooden" or "Dr. K", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was one of the most dominant and feared pitchers in the National League in the middle and late 1980s.-Career:...
, Taylor would be ready for the big leagues at the age of 19. However they found he needed a better move to first base to hold base runners. In 1992 he was 6-8 for the Class-A Advanced Fort Lauderdale Yankees
Fort Lauderdale Yankees
The Fort Lauderdale Yankees, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was an American minor league baseball franchise that existed from 1962 through 1992. The team was a Class A Florida State League affiliate of the New York Yankees and won seven FSL championships during its 31 years of existence.The...
, but with a 2.57 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
and with 187 strikeouts in 161 innings. The next year as a 21-year-old with the Double-A Albany-Colonie Yankees, Taylor went 13-7 with a 3.48 ERA and with 150 strikeouts in 163 innings. He also led the Eastern League with 102 walks. Nonetheless, Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
named him the game's best prospect and he was expected to pitch for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers
Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a minor league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team is owned by the government of Franklin County, Ohio....
of the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
in 1994, and start for the Yankees in 1995. The Yankees had asked Taylor to report to an instructional league so he could spend the winter of 1993-94 working on fundamentals. However Taylor declined the Yankees' request, claiming he was tired from the pressure of the season. He said he needed the rest and chose to remain near his North Carolina home.
On December 18, 1993 the normally mild-mannered Taylor suffered a dislocated left shoulder and torn labrum while defending his brother Brenden in a fistfight. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that Brenden confronted a man named Ron Wilson, who he had fought with in Harlowe, North Carolina. Brenden suffered head lacerations in his fight with Wilson. Once Brien found out his brother had been hurt, he and a cousin went to Wilson's trailer home to confront him. There, Taylor got into an altercation with Jamie Morris, Wilson's friend, and Taylor fell on his shoulder. According to Wilson, Taylor attempted to throw a haymaker at Morris, and missed, which caused the injury.
In the hours following the altercation Boras told reporters the injury was a bruise. However when the Yankees had Taylor visit Dr. Frank Jobe, he called the injury one of the worst he'd seen. Jobe, a well-known orthopedic surgeon, repaired a torn capsule and a torn labrum in Taylor's shoulder. Initially Jobe told Taylor that he would throw again with similar velocity and that his shoulder might even be more durable. However, he was never the same pitcher again. When he returned after surgery, he had lost 8 mph off his fastball and was unable to throw a curveball for a strike. He was at Double-A before the incident but spent the bulk of the remainder of his professional baseball career struggling at Single-A. Taylor was able to get his fastball back into the low to mid 90's, and he had also filled out, gaining 35 pounds from when he first signed, however he had control problems.
In 1995 he pitched for the Yankees Gulf Coast League team
Gulf Coast Yankees
The Gulf Coast League Yankees are the Rookie League affiliate of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. The GCL Yankees play in Tampa, Florida at the Yankee Complex...
, and walked 54 batters in 40 innings. In 1996 he pitched for the Single-A Greensboro Bats, and walked 43 batters in innings, going 0-5 with an 18.73 ERA. At Greensboro again in 1997, he walked 52 batters in 27 innings, going 1-4 with a 14.33 ERA.
He was released by the Yankees at the end of the 1998 season, and pitched for minor league affiliates of the Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
until retiring in 2000. In his final stint with the Indians' Columbus affiliate in 2000, he gave up 5 hits, 9 walks, and 11 runs (8 earned) in innings.
After baseball
After retiring, Taylor moved to Raleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
and worked as a UPS package handler and later a beer distributor. He is the father of five daughters. By 2006, he had moved back home and was working as a bricklayer with his father. Taylor still lives with his parents, at the end of a street named after him, in a two-story brick and frame house that he built using his signing bonus.
In January 2005, police charged Taylor with misdemeanor child abuse for allegedly leaving four of his children (ages from 2 to 11) alone for more than eight hours. He didn't show up for his court date, and at one point there were four outstanding warrants for his arrest. According to financial records filed in a child support application, he makes $909 per month.