Sept. 13, 2019

By Lukas Weese

Canadian Baseball Network

Curtis Taylor got an early understanding of October playoff baseball without having to compete in it.

As a youngster, his Dad, Wes Taylor, would set up a TV in the garage, where the two would watch the New York Yankees compete in the postseason.

The temperature was chilly. The raucous Yankee Stadium crowd would emanate from the TV. Young Curtis was seeing history and dominance on display, as the Yankees would win three consecutive World Series titles from 1998-2000.

“My Dad instilled the baseball mindset into me at a young age,” said Taylor over the phone from Dunedin, Fla. “He was a big Yankees fan and watching those October playoff games in the garage gave me a feel for postseason baseball.”

Despite Taylor being indoctrinated with Yankees mania, there was one team he spent much of his time watching: Canada’s Toronto Blue Jays, which extended its influence across the country, including Taylor’s home province of British Columbia.

Flash forward to the present and the 24-year old pitcher is now a member of the lone Canadian major-league team. The Blue Jays acquired Curtis Taylor from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept.1, as one of the players to be named later in the Eric Sogard deal. Taylor, who is currently rehabbing from an elbow injury and is expected to be healthy for spring training, is fully conscious of the impact playing on the Blue Jays has as a Canadian, growing up in Port Coquitlam, B.C.

“When the Blue Jays went on their playoff runs in 2015 and 2016, I would attend viewing parties in Vancouver,” said Taylor. “The spirit for the Blue Jays is felt across the country, having a deep connection with young kids in British Columbia.”

While Jose Bautista was bat flipping and Edwin Encarnacion was hitting a walk-off home run in the AL Wild Card game, Taylor was attending the University of British Columbia. Despite only playing for the UBC Thunderbirds in his junior year, it was integral for Taylor’s pitching development.

The homegrown talent would work under UBC head coach Chris Pritchett, who was an international scout for the Boston Red Sox from 2010 to 2015. In his first season, Pritchett was awarded the Cascade Conference Coach of the Year and he helped refine Taylor’s pitching skills, both mentally and physically.

“Curtis was on my radar when I was a scout with Boston,” said Pritchett. “What I realized once I got to coach him at UBC was his competitiveness and how he loved to pitch in big games. That is something you can’t teach.”

Pritchett worked on developing the two pitches that would be signature in Taylor’s arsenal; the fastball and slider. But it would be the mental training that the UBC coach would provide to Taylor that would have the most resounding impact.

The Canadian was one of the top pitching prospects across the country. With the hype surrounding him at UBC, Taylor initially struggled to deal with the pressure. It was Coach Pritchett, a former prospect himself, who educated Taylor on dealing with the pressure, blocking out the noise, and going about your business on the mound.

No better example to demonstrate Taylor’s competitive spirit than the Super Regional against Georgia-Gwinnett College. A team that would eventually go to the College World Series.

Despite their pedigree, Taylor went out and struck out the first eight Georgia-Gwinnett hitters he faced in three innings. The greater the adversity, the harder Taylor would pitch with force.

“That game showed I could handle the spotlight,” said Taylor. “The pressure wasn’t that big for me and I channeled my adrenaline really well.”

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Taylor in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Scouting Taylor was Doug Mathieson, who is the Canada/Alaska area scout for Arizona.

“I have seen Curtis pitch since he was 14,” said Mathieson. “He always threw strikes. If he stays healthy and maintains consistency on his off-speed pitches, he will be successful in the big leagues.”

One of the areas that Taylor needed to work on was a third pitch, notably the changeup. Unfortunately for the Canadian, the changeup hasn’t materialized into being a viable third pitch option. This has prevented him from being a starting pitcher that could go numerous innings.

But the Blue Jays saw something in Taylor as a relief pitcher. After being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, the 24-year-old thrived in the minors. Taylor posted a 3.06 ERA in 15 appearances with double-A Montgomery, including seven saves in nine chances. He owns a combined 2.84 ERA and 274 strikeouts in four minor league seasons.

“Any time you come into the game as a relief pitcher, it’s a big spot,” said Taylor. “It allows me to use the adrenaline to my advantage.”

Taylor’s rise demonstrates the growth of baseball participation in Canada. As Pritchett, explains more Canadians feel compelled to go to university programs like UBC, who have developed players into becoming future draft picks.

“My first taste of Canadian baseball was playing for the Los Angeles Angels’ triple-A affiliate in Vancouver,” said Pritchett. “Since then, the grassroots participation has exploded from high schools to universities. It is great to see so many Canadians wanting to stay home so they can pursue their baseball dreams.”

For Taylor, if he escapes the injury bug and continues to refine the command of his fastball and slider, he will be getting the call up to the Blue Jays very soon. With Toronto amidst a rebuild with a plethora of pitching spots open, there is an opportunity for Taylor to secure a spot if he showcases steady improvement at the triple-A level.

And if that happens, it won’t be long before the rowdy Rogers Centre crowd is permeating through the TV screens in garages across Canada, watching a homegrown pitcher from British Columbia make noise on the mound.