Chris Taylor’s adjustments at the plate have led to a big comeback over the last month

Chris Taylor has been a staple of Dodgers baseball since his breakout 2017 season, which culminated in his sending the first pitch Dallas Keuchel threw in the 2017 World Series into the left field bleachers and, ensuingly, Dodgers Stadium into a frenzy. However, his 2024 season started in a manner that was, to say the least, underwhelming. As of June 6th, Taylor had put up a seemingly impossible -2 wrC+, a stat in which league average is 100. His more traditional statistics reflected a similar lack of production, as Taylor hit .095/.198/.107 for a .305 OPS. Even in a season in which offensive production has been diminished across the league, that abysmal performance is grounds for discussions around his place on the team.

So why didn’t the Dodgers cut Taylor? Why did they let him take him strikeout countless times over and over again while even Taylor more loyal fans (this writer included) groaned?

One reason would likely be his career track record. Taylor, acquired in a then-forgettable trade with the Mariners, reinvented his swing with the Dodgers, becoming a regular starter during the 2017 season and posting a 106 wrC+ for his career. This above-average offensive production, when combined with his ability to play almost every position beyond pitching and catching, has made him an incredibly valuable asset to the Dodgers’ recent run of success and earned him a contract through 2025. Moreover, Taylor has often been a streaky player, known to shine in important moments and go on incredible hot streak, but also prone to baffling runs where he looks completely lost. While Taylor’s production, or lack thereof, was certainly getting to a point where his versatility becomes negligible, the Dodgers also believed in Taylor’s ability to adjust and find his swing again, working with him behind the scenes throughout the season.

That’s exactly why I chose June 6 as the endpoint with which to divide Taylor’s season, as that was when Joe Davis reported on the SportsNet LA broadcast that the Dodgers felt they had made a breakthrough in Taylor’s swing. I, like many were skeptical, but the results since then have been undeniable. In all games played after June 6th — so approximately a month’s worth of baseball — Chris Taylor has posted a 159 wrC+ and his traditional slash-line over that period is .255/.397/.510 for a .910 OPS. Those are numbers that not only justify a place on the roster but over a full season would merit All-Star consideration. More than hits and outs, prior to that time he had a 9.3 BB% and whopping 39.2 K%, whereas since it’s 19.0 BB% and 22.2 K%, a significant turnaround. And his numbers aren’t powered by luck either, as he’s running just a .294 BABIP in that span despite his Hard-Hit% going from 18.8% to 43.2%.

Of course, it’s a small sample size, numbering only about 20 games, but the change in Taylor’s production is so drastic that, when combined with his reported swing adjustments around when that sample started, it’s difficult to ignore.

Taylor himself has confirmed that he feels comfortable at the plate again.

“I feel like my mechanics are in a spot where I can have the approach that I’ve wanted to have for the past couple years,” Taylor said. “I’ve always thought about hitting the ball to right-center. That kind of puts me on everything. Before the last couple weeks when I was thinking that, I was underneath and missing. Now I’m in a spot where I feel I can go back to that approach and feel like myself.
“It’s been a process. For me, it’s been more about the quality of the at-bats and moving the ball forward. That’s been encouraging – not just today but the last few weeks.”

While Taylor likely will not produce this far above his career statistics for the remainder of the 2024 season, he is now a viable option for Dave Roberts and the Dodgers to deploy off the bench, which makes him an extremely valuable player for a team looking to get anything from their non-superstars on the roster.

For example, with Max Muncy interminably stranded on the injured list, Dave has announced that Taylor will get more runway at third base, something that would likely not have been possible if Taylor hadn’t been able to make adjustments and find his offensive groove again. So through grit, perseverance, and steady work, Taylor has rewarded the Dodgers’ faith, revitalized his season, and primed himself to have more iconic October moments.

Editor’s Note: Welcome Sam to the team, you gremlins.