Rays’ first-round pick Brayden Taylor signs, visits Tropicana Field
ST. PETERSBURG — The No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft roamed Tropicana Field with his mom and dad, shook hands with Rays manager Kevin Cash and spent time in the dugout. Brayden Taylor, a Utah native, has only been to Florida a few times and had never visited the Tampa Bay area. But he’s excited for what the future holds with the Rays.
“I’ve been nothing but taken care of out here,” Taylor said. “I love the city. It’s awesome.”
Taylor traveled from Utah on Thursday and signed with the Rays on Friday, with a full-slot signing bonus of $3,880,100, as reported by MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis. Next up: heading to the Rays’ Sarasota complex Saturday, where Taylor said he’ll start getting acclimated to major-league life.
He was a third baseman at TCU in 2023, helping power the team to its sixth College World Series appearance in program history. He also played shortstop last fall, which is what he expected to play at TCU this past season before being placed at third.
HIs experience playing multiple positions was attractive to the Rays, director of amateur scouting Chuck Ricci said.
“The versatility just allows for so many different paths,” Ricci said. “If there’s a hole at third base or shortstop, he’s just open to so many more avenues.”
This comes after Ricci called Taylor “very much a Rays player” on July 10, the night he was drafted. Ricci views versatility as significant to manager Kevin Cash’s strategy, moving players from position to position.
It’s something Taylor prides himself on, too. He plans to make the most of wherever the Rays stick him, he said.
Taylor also is still getting used to what being a top draft pick means. He said the draft media day was a highlight, as he got to see Derek Jeter and spoke with Ronald Acuña Jr.
“I was star struck because I was looking at these guys, like, ‘I grew up watching these guys play,’ ” Taylor said. “But then when they came up and talked to me, I was like, ‘Oh, they’re just normal dudes.’ It’s cool. I’m in kind of the same position. I’m working to get where they are.”
More draft news
Friday was pretty exciting for Ricci.
The Rays’ third-round pick, LSU infielder Tre’ Morgan, signed in the morning, and Taylor followed in the afternoon. They joined other recent signees, including Mississippi State outfielder Colton Ledbetter (second round) and Miami Doral Academy shortstop Adrian Santana (competitive balance round A).
Ricci feels good about the Rays’ signings so far and anticipates more in the coming days.
“We’re still working on a couple,” Ricci said. “Hopefully (Saturday) we’ve got something else to announce.”
Miscellany
The Rays are now 8-1 when wearing the throwback Devil Rays uniforms. … Broadcaster Dick Vitale attended Friday’s game with family. He recently announced he has vocal cord cancer and will start radiation next week. … The Rays’ Friday victory snapped the Orioles’ six-game road winning streak, their longest such streak since August 2020. … Centerfielder Jose Siri now has the third-most home runs in the American League since May (17), trailing only the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani (28) and the White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. (23).
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