Taylor Browning Widener (born October 24, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played 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) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

and in the

KBO League The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most success ...

for the

NC Dinos The NC Dinos () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Changwon. They are a member of the KBO League. Since 2019, their home stadium is Changwon NC Park. NC Dinos are owned by video game developer NCSoft Corporation. History On ...

and

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Cha ...

Career

Amateur career

Widener attended South Aiken High School in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the most populous city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. According to 2020 census, the population was 32,025, making it the 15th-most populous city in South Carolina, and one of the two largest ci ...

and played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

at the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

. He was both a starter and relief pitcher at South Carolina. After his junior season, he was drafted by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in the 12th round of the

2016 Major League Baseball draft The 2016 Major League Baseball draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks were distributed for players who ...

New York Yankees

Widener made his professional debut with the

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

and was promoted to the

Charleston RiverDogs The Charleston RiverDogs are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They are located in Charleston, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. The RiverDogs' home stadium is Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park. Char ...

after not allowing a run over innings with Staten Island. He finished 2016 with a combined 3–0 record and a 0.47 ERA in innings pitched between both clubs. Widener spent 2017 with the

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

where he posted a 7–8 record with a 3.39 ERA in 27 starts.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On February 18, 2018, the Yankees sent Widener to the

in a three-team trade, in which the Yankees acquired Brandon Drury from the Diamondbacks, the Diamondbacks acquired Steven Souza from the

Tampa Bay 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) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

, and the Rays acquired

Nick Solak Nicholas Blake Solak (born January 11, 1995) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers (baseball), T ...

from the Yankees and Anthony Banda and two

PTBNL In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

(

Colin Poche Colin Michael Poche ( ; born January 17, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Mets organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Washington Nationals. He made his ML ...

and

Sam McWilliams Samuel Rutherford McWilliams (born September 4, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He spent time on the 40-man roster of the New York Mets and San Diego Padres, and was a Rule 5 draft, Rule 5 pick by the Kansa ...

) from the Diamondbacks. Widener spent 2018 with the

Jackson Generals The Jackson Generals were a professional baseball team located in Jackson, Tennessee. From 1998 to 2020, they were a part of Minor League Baseball's Southern League (SL) as the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs (1998–2006), Seattle Mari ...

, pitching to a 5–8 record with a 2.75 ERA in 26 games (25 starts). He was a Southern League Mid-Season All-Star and named to

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

's Double-A All-Star team. The Diamondbacks named him their Pitcher of the Year. Before the 2019 season, MLB.com ranked him as the third best prospect in the Diamondbacks system. He spent the year with the Triple-A

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, w ...

, going 6–7 with an 8.10 ERA over 23 starts, striking out 109 over 100 innings. Widener was added to the Diamondbacks 40–man roster following the 2019 season. Following the delay of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he was included on the 30-man roster when the season started in July. Widener made his major league debut on July 25 against 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. ...

, pitching scoreless innings. On August 31, Widener was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained rib cage. He returned from the injury on September 20. On the season, he was 0–1 in 12 games with 22 strikeouts in 20 innings, he also allowed 12 walks. Widener started the 2021 season in the Diamondbacks starting rotation. On April 28, he was placed on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain. He returned to the team on May 23, but was put back on the injured list with another groin strain just two days later. He was reinstated on July 9, then optioned the following day before returning on July 20. He missed time in August with flu-like symptoms. After pitching to a 4.28 ERA in 13 starts, Widener was moved to the bullpen in September to manage his workload. On the season, Widener made 23 appearances for Arizona, posting a 4.35 ERA with 73 strikeouts in innings pitched. Widener began the 2022 season in Triple-A after he was optioned on April 2. Widener was recalled on April 24 and sent back to the minors on May 2. He returned on June 3 but was again optioned four days later. The Diamondbacks against recalled him on August 1, then optioned him two days later, before returning on September 8. Overall, he pitched in 14 games with the big league club, recording a 3.63 ERA with 14 strikeouts in innings out of the bullpen. He was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must, within seven days, return the pla ...

on December 23, 2022. On January 5, 2023, Widener was sent outright to Triple-A Reno.

NC Dinos

On January 31, 2023, Widener signed a one-year contract worth $743,000 with the

of the

. In 11 starts, he registered a 4–2 record and 4.52 ERA with 57 strikeouts across innings pitched. On August 4, Widener was released by the Dinos.

Samsung Lions

On August 10, 2023, Widener signed with the

of the

. He became a free agent following the season.

Atlanta Braves

On December 11, 2023, Widener signed a minor league contract with 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 ...

. In 22 appearances (11 starts) for the Triple–A

Gwinnett Stripers The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia ...

, he posted a 3–5 record and 6.51 ERA with 59 strikeouts across innings pitched. Widener was released by the Braves organization on August 1, 2024.

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Widener, Taylor 1994 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from South Carolina Charleston RiverDogs players Gwinnett Stripers players Hillsboro Hops players Jackson Generals (Southern League) players KBO League pitchers Major League Baseball pitchers NC Dinos players 21st-century American sportsmen Reno Aces players Samsung Lions players South Carolina Gamecocks baseball players Sportspeople from Aiken, South Carolina Staten Island Yankees players Tampa Yankees players