Brewers: Tyrone Taylor Should Get Important Playoff At-Bats

After a multi-home run game and a .941 slugging percentage in his last seven games played, Tyrone Taylor has more than likely cemented his spot on the Brewers playoff roster. The excessive amounts of power that Taylor carries in his bat make him a prime candidate for an unlikely hero.

On a team that struggles to put runs across at times, the “lightning in a bottle” attribute that Tyrone Taylor possesses makes him a valuable asset come October. He’s been a streaky hitter for the entirety of the season including months of April and July where he hit above .300 and then the drop off months of May and August where he hit below .200.

2021 has been the year that Taylor has seen career highs in exit velocity and launch angle.

Tyrone Taylor has finally been given enough playing time to prove his worth and he’s done everything the Brewers have asked and more.

Where Tyrone Taylor can really excel come playoff baseball is in the pinch hit role against left handed pitchers late in games. He is slashing .284/.321/.514 against southpaws with five home runs during the 2021 campaign. And more specifically, his batting average on balls in play is an exceptional .327 against lefties.

According to Baseball Reference , in high leverage situations this season, Taylor is hitting a solid .255 with a .680 OPS and 14 runs batted in. A close ball game when Milwaukee’s pitcher’s spot is up in the order against a lefty should be Tyrone Taylor’s niche.

The Brewers luckily enough have a plethora of guys that have shown they can come through off the bench and Tyrone Taylor has solidified himself among that group. Guys like Jace Peterson, Daniel Vogelbach and Manny Pina have shown the ability to rise to the big moment during the regular season…now the question is, can this group do it come October?

Taylor has really improved his at-bats against the fastball this season. Last year he slashed a dreadful .174/.267/.435 against fastballs. This year, the 27 year old outfielder bumped those numbers up to .257/.293/.504 against the heater with eight home runs to boot. As a one-time second round draft pick out of high school, there was plenty of hype surrounding him and probably some unfair expectations. Now he’s come into his own and looks like a legitimate MLB talent.

Although he doesn’t have nearly as many at-bats, Taylor has the fourth-highest OPS on the Brewers this season, and his production has not gone unnoticed.

I believe Tyrone Taylor is destined to have a big moment come playoffs and I can’t wait to see that infectious ear to ear smile that he so proudly wears.