William Howell Taylor (born October 16, 1961) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) primarily as a closer from 1994 and 1996 to 2001.
Early career
Taylor played his first professional game in 1980 after being drafted by the
Texas Rangers in the second round (39th overall pick) of the
1980 draft
__NOTOC__
Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 198 fo ...
. Initially drafted as a starter, in 1981, he went 4–2 with a 2.72
earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...
(ERA) at the
Rookie
A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year).
In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...
level. However, he struggled after a promotion to
Single-A
Single-A, formerly known as Class A and sometimes as Low-A, is the fourth-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A, Double-A (baseball), Double-A, and High-A. There are 30 teams cl ...
, going just 1–7 with a 4.64 ERA. Over the next two seasons, used as a combination
reliever
In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
/
starter, he went 13–18 with a 5.54 ERA. He did strike out 212 batters. In 1984, used in 42 games, he re-established his prospect status with a 5–3 record and a 3.83 ERA in
Double-A. In 1985, he topped 100 innings pitched for the first time in his career, and he also had a 3.47 ERA. He then threw 169 innings between AA and
Triple-A and pitched fairly well with a 4.36 ERA between the two stops. He was only 24 years old. The next season, he pitched poorly, going 12–9 with a 5.61 ERA. Again, he threw about 170 innings. The next year, Taylor got injured and started only 11 games with an ERA of 5.49. Granted free agency by the Rangers, he signed in 1989 with the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
, who needed depth in their
bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief pitchers warm up before entering a game. A team's roster of relief pitchers is also metonymically referred to as "the bullpen". These pitchers usually wait in the bullpen if ...
. He appeared in 49 games in AAA, with again a high ERA of 5.13.
First success
By 1990, Taylor's career appeared to be over. He was 28 years old and had pitched poorly in AAA as both a starter and a reliever. However, the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...
signed him in the middle of August 1990, seeing that his
walk
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an "inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults over ...
rate in 1989 was the lowest it had been in his minor league career. He appeared in 7 games that season. In 1991, no one could have predicted that he would go 6–2 in 59 games as a reliever with a 1.51 ERA in AA, morphing into one of the best
closers in that league. 1992 was more of the same for Taylor. He went 2–3 with a 2.28 ERA and 12
saves. In 1993, at the age of 31, he was an All-Star, saved 26 games,
struck out
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safel ...
more than a batter an inning, and had a 1.98 ERA, all in AAA. He won the league's reliever of the year award as well.
Major League career
In 1994, a full 14 years after Billy Taylor had been drafted, he finally played in the big leagues. With a 3.50 ERA, he was arguably the most important reliever in the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
' bullpen. From 1996 to 1999, Taylor saved 100 games. His best season came in 1998, where he had 33 saves (eighth in the AL), and a 3.58 ERA. On July 31, 1999, he was traded by the Oakland Athletics to the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
for
Jason Isringhausen
Jason Derik Isringhausen ( born September 7, 1972) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He pitched in Major League Baseball from 1995 through 2012 for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay ...
and
Greg McMichael
Gregory Winston McMichael (born December 1, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1993 to 2000.
Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, McMichael graduated from Webb School ...
. He then played for the Mets,
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...
, and
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
before retiring from baseball.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Billy
1961 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Asheville Tourists players
Baseball players from Florida
Burlington Rangers players
Durham Bulls players
Greenville Braves players
Edmonton Trappers players
Gulf Coast Rangers players
Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Nashville Sounds players
Navegantes del Magallanes players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
New York Mets players
Oakland Athletics players
Oklahoma City 89ers players
People from Monticello, Florida
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Richmond Braves players
Salem Redbirds players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
Tulsa Drillers players
Wausau Timbers players
20th-century American sportsmen