Ben Taylor

Position: RHP
Born: 11/12/92
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 225
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft (BOS).

Most Recent Stats at Time of Debut
2016 Season Stats: Went 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA in 36 games between Salem (High A) and Portland (Double-A), collecting eight saves and striking out 98 batters while walking 22 and giving up 63 hits in 79 innings. He limited opposing hitters to a .217 average.

Info & MLB Debut Date
Contract purchased from Portland March 31 as he broke camp with the team out of spring training.
MLB Debut Date: 04/07/17

Debut Details
April 7, in a 6-5 loss to the Tigers. The second of five pitchers, he came on in the bottom of the seventh inning in relief of starter and RHP Steven Wright with two runs in, two outs and no one on base. He struck out the first batter he faced, Ian Kinsler, on a foul tip to end the inning, ending his outing as reliever and RHP Heath Hembree took over for the Red Sox to start the eighth. Taylor threw just four pitches, three of them for strikes.

Player Notes
One of the big surprises of spring training, the South Alabama product wasn't even being eyed as a contender for the Red Sox bullpen when spring training started, despite excellent numbers in 2016 where he finished the summer at Portland (Double-A), seeing as how he was still a few months shy of the second anniversary of being drafted. But his fastball in the low 90s, slider and changeup along with his plus command, deceptive delivery and outstanding makeup and attitude made him stand out this spring and stick. That deception has contributed to some outstanding strikeout ratio numbers despite not having acros-the-board 'plus' stuff: a career 3.02 ERA in 50 games and 152 strikeouts against 39 walks in 134 innings allowing 114 hits for a .229 average against. A senior sign, he'd posted 14.9 SO/9 that last season, and went on to post a 3.11 ERA in his pro debut over 14 games between Lowell (Short-Season A) and Greenville (Class A), fanning 54 while walking 17 in 55 innings.