Troy Taylor burst onto the scene in 2024, and he's looking to put it all back together after a tough 2025.
PEORIA, Ariz. -- I've said it before and I'll say it again: I believe that Troy Taylor can be an integral part of the Seattle Mariners bullpen in 2026.
He has upper-90s fastball velocity and a solid solider. That type of stuff doesn't grow on trees. Also, he has minor league options available, and in an increasingly inflexible bullpen, that is important.
However, after a disastrous 2025 season, Taylor has to put it all back together again.
His quest in doing that got off to a tough start on Friday in the Cactus League opener on Friday. Though the Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 7-4, Taylor gave up a homer and a walk in his inning of work. He didn't register a strikeout and only threw eight of his 16 pitches for strikes.
On the positive side, he did get the first two outs before surrendering the homer and the walk.
About Taylor
Still just 24 years old, Taylor was a 12th round pick of the Mariners in 2022. He made his debut in an impressive 2024, going 0-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 21 games. He struck out 25 batters in 19.1 innings, flashing that upper-90s velocity and a good slider.
He had a miserable 2025, going 0-0 with a 12.15 ERA in just eight games. He was injured in spring training and never got right, also struggling at Triple-A. He went 3-4 with a 6.85 ERA in 50 games for the Rainiers.
Confidence still exists
Despite the Friday performance, manager Dan Wilson is still confident in the young righty. He made the following comments on Saturday morning:
Yeah. I really liked how he attacked the zone a little bit more yesterday (Friday). I think for him, you know, he had such an incredible meteoric rise in '24. And just getting back to that place of feeling that confidence, and I think when he has some of those good outings and he can kind of string them along, I think that'll really kind of help with the confidence. And he's come a long way, no doubt. I think last year, again, in this game, you learn a lot more about yourself when it doesn't go as well. I think he learned a lot about himself last year and I think he's ready to put that to good use this year.
Additional opportunities
With Andres Munoz (Mexico), Eduard Bazardo (Venezuela) and Gabe Speier (Team USA) all leaving for the World Baseball Classic, there should be plenty of chances for Taylor to show what he can do before spring training concludes.
Perhaps those opportunities will come on Sunday when the Mariners take on the Cincinnati Reds at 12:10 p.m. PT.
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