Those who consume baseball on a grand scale tend to fall into the habit of putting players in boxes.
For example, all who follow baseball closely view Martin Maldonado of the Astros strictly as a defensive catcher. That's where his value is, and if his defensive prowess were to decline to even average, he would likely no longer be an active Major League Baseball player.
But what about when a player deviates from one or multiple preconceived notions placed on them and begins to decline or excel in a rather unexpected area of their game?
This precise phenomenon is currently happening to Minnesota Twins centerfielder Michael A. Taylor.
Throughout his almost ten-year Major League career, Taylor has garnered the reputation of being a defensive specialist in centerfield who hits for singles and the occasional extra-base hit with home runs coming sparingly.
While maintaining a level of elite defense in centerfield, illustrated by currently possessing eight Outs Above Average (OAA), which ranks him seventh out of 42 qualified centerfielders, Taylor has added a new element to his game in his first year as a member of the Twins: power.
When looking at centerfielders with at least 300 plate appearances, Taylor currently ranks seventh out of 27 centerfielders with an Isolated Power (ISO) of .206.
To put this into perspective, here are the ten leaders in ISO for centerfielders:
(Note: League average ISO for centerfielders stands at .168)
Luis Robert Jr., White Sox - .291
Chas McCormick, Astros - .248
Jack Suwinski, Pirates - .243
Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks - .232
Mike Trout, Angels - .230
Cody Bellinger, Cubs -.223
Taylor, Twins - .206
Cedric Mullins, Orioles - .195
Jarren Duran, Red Sox - .191
Julio Rodriguez, Mariners - .187
Admittedly, there is a significant drop off of .17 points from Bellinger to Taylor. Regardless, the fact that he is above star players like Mullins and Rodriguez and keeping company with some of the league's most recognizable power hitters in Bellinger and Trout is nothing to scoff at.
Taylor sitting top ten in ISO for centerfielders is unexpected, and his career norms reiterate that notion.
After taking out the 60-game 2020 season, where Taylor generated an ISO of .228 in just 99 plate appearances, here are Taylor's ISO numbers over the past five seasons:
2018, Nationals - (.130)
2019, Nationals - (.114)
2021, Royals - (.112)
2022, Royals - (.104)
2023, Twins - (presently .206)
Subtracting 2020, Taylor's average ISO from 2018-2022 is .115, which is .46 points below the league average of that stretch of .161.
Why is Taylor Suddenly Hitting for Power?
Anytime an element of a hitter's game drastically changes out of seemingly nowhere, the first place one should look for answers is whether or not that player has changed something in their approach or their mechanics.
In Taylor's case, there appears to be a noteworthy change in both.
First, let's look at Taylor's approach.
Through 320 plate appearances, Taylor has struck out 109 times and currently owns a Strikeout Percentage (K%) of 34.1%. Taylor's K% of 34.1% is on track to be 10.2 percentage points higher than the K% he had last year with the Royals, which was 23.9%.
It is clear that Taylor, whether through the Twins' advice, on his account, or both, is sacrificing contact for power.
Although Taylor's batting average and on-base percentage are lower than his career norms, he has hit 16 home runs so far in 2023 and is on track to surpass his career high in home runs which he set with the Washington Nationals in 2017, hitting 19 home runs.
Next, let's look at Taylor's swing mechanics.
When a hitter makes drastic changes in their hitting mechanics, there tends to be an increase or decline in specific ability-based statistics that back the change they underwent. In Taylor's case, there is a trend of mild-to-moderate change in specific power-relevant statistics.
The four power-relevant statistics that Taylor has incurred a mild-to-moderate deviation in are Max Exit Velocity (Max EV), Expected Slugging (XSLG), Barrel Percentage (Barrel %), and Launch Angle.
Here are Taylor's numbers in the four statistics provided compared to his averages from 2018-2022, once again subtracting 2020:
Max EV
2018-2022 - (110.6)
2023 - (113.1)
XSLG
2018-2022 - (.365)
2023 - (.437)
Barrel %
2018-2022 - (6.7)
2023 - (13.2)
Launch Angle
2018-2022 - (10.3)
2023 - (12.1)
In all four statistics provided, Taylor's 2023 numbers are greater than his averages from 2018-2022, with sharp increases in his XSLG and Barrel % standing out in particular.
While many factors go into the creation and continued development of one's swing, sometimes minor adjustments can lead to great discoveries and surprising results.
After Taylor hit a two-run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night, Twins play-by-play announcer Dick Bremer stated that Taylor attributes his newfound power to utilizing a new leg kick, a technique he didn't use while with the Kansas City Royals.
The logic behind hitters using a leg kick is to ensure they use their body's lower half. Occasionally, hitters find themselves not using their lower half in their swing mechanics, leading to a decrease in power, and that may have been the situation Taylor was finding himself in before joining the Twins.
As shown in this video, when Taylor was with the Royals, the lower half of his body was essentially motionless. A stark contrast to the home run he hit as a member of the Twins.
By incorporating a leg kick, Taylor activates his entire lower body once his foot plants on the ground. When a player like Taylor gets his quick and twitchy upper half in unison with a strong lower half acting as a foundation, then power outbreaks, like the one Taylor is going through right now, are more likely to occur.
As the season continues, the Twins and Taylor will look to continue to benefit from Taylor's newfound leg kick as he brings an element of power from the bottom of the lineup, something very few teams can say they have.
Lfg Twins ♥️