Taylor Grant Williams (born July 21, 1991) 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, ...
for the
Algodoneros de Unión Laguna
The Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (English: Laguna Union Cottoneers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB). Based in Torreón, Coahuila, they play in the North Division of LMB.
History Early years
The team was established ...
of the
Mexican League
The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country.
The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...
. He made his
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) debut with the
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
in 2017 and has also played for the
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
,
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. ...
, and
Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
.
Amateur career
Williams attended
Camas High School in
Camas, Washington. He played for the school's baseball team and graduated in 2010.
Camas reached the state championship game in 2010.
He won the
most valuable player
In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...
trophy at an all-state series.
Williams enrolled at
Washington State University
Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...
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, ...
for the
Washington State Cougars baseball
The Washington State Cougars baseball team is the varsity college baseball, intercollegiate baseball team of Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. The Cougars' home venue is Bailey–Brayton Field, first opened for the 198 ...
team for one season. In 2012, Taylor pitched
collegiate summer baseball
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
for the
Cowlitz Black Bears
The Cowlitz Black Bears is an amateur baseball team located in Longview, Washington. They play in the West Coast League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league comprises teams from Canada, Oregon, and Washington. The team's home field ...
of the
West Coast League
The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCB ...
. Discontented with Washington State, he transferred to
Mount Hood Community College
Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) is a public community college in Gresham, Oregon, United States, named after Mount Hood. Opened in 1966, MHCC enrolls around 30,000 students each year and offers classes at the main campus in Gresham, as well as ...
, a
junior college
A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...
. He then played summer baseball for the
Keene Swamp Bats
The Keene Swamp Bats are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,047 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 23,40 ...
of the
New England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...
, where he had three members of the
Kent State Golden Flashes baseball
The Kent State Golden Flashes baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, United States. The team competes at the NCAA Division I, Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Associati ...
team as his teammates. Based on their recommendations, he transferred to
Kent State
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia, ...
. With the Golden Flashes, Williams had a 10-1
win–loss record Win–loss may refer to:
* Win–loss analytics, analysis of the reasons why a visitor to a website was or wasn't persuaded to engage in a desired action
* Win–loss record, also winning percentage
* Win–loss record (pitching), the number of ...
with a 2.47
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 ...
and 110
strikeout
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 safe ...
s. He was named to the
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...
's first-team.
[
]
Professional career
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...
selected Williams in the fourth round, with the 122nd overall pick, of the 2013 MLB Draft
The 2013 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Each team received one selection per round, going in reverse order of t ...
.[ He signed with the Brewers, receiving a $400,000 signing bonus.
After signing, the Brewers assigned Williams to the ]Helena Brewers
The Helena Brewers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Pioneer League located in Helena, Montana, from 1978 to 2018. The team played their home games at Kindrick Legion Field, which was built in 1939. They were affiliated with the Milwaukee ...
of the Rookie-level
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...
Pioneer League.[ In 12 games (six starts) for Helena, he was 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA. He began 2014 with the ]Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, a town on the outskirts of Appleton in the Fox Cities, and are nam ...
of the Class A Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
before being promoted to the Brevard County Manatees
The Brevard County Manatees were a minor league baseball team of the Class A-Advanced Florida State League from 1994 to 2016. They were based in Viera, Florida, Viera, Florida, and played their home games at Space Coast Stadium. The team left Brev ...
of the Class A-Advanced
High-A, officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing, is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A and D ...
Florida State League
The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
. In 27 games (17 starts) for the two teams, he had a 9-3 record and 2.72 ERA. Williams missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery
Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...
.
The Brewers added Williams to their 40-man roster
A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...
following the 2016 season. He played for the Biloxi Shuckers
The Biloxi Shuckers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1964–present), Southern League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Biloxi, Mississippi, and are named in ref ...
of the Double-A Southern League in 2017 where he compiled a 0-2 record and 3.09 ERA in 22 games (14 starts).
Williams was recalled from Biloxi on September 1, 2017, and he made his major league debut on September 6.[ In 4.2 innings pitched for Milwaukee, he compiled a 1.93 ERA. In 2018, Williams began the season with the Triple-A ]Colorado Springs Sky Sox
The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...
and was recalled by Milwaukee on April 8. In 2019 for Milwaukee, Williams recorded a ghastly 9.82 ERA over 12 appearances. The Brewers designated Williams for assignment on February 19, 2020 following the club's acquisition of Brock Holt
Brock Wyatt Holt (born June 11, 1988), nicknamed "The Brock Star", is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nat ...
.
Seattle Mariners
On February 21, 2020, Williams was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
. He served as the team's closer, earning 6 saves and pitching in 14 games with 19 strikeouts in innings.
San Diego Padres
On August 31, 2020, Williams was traded to 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. ...
for Matt Brash. He only pitched once for the Padres in 2020, allowing one run while pitching the sixth inning of a win over the Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
.
On June 5, 2021, Williams was placed on the 60-day injured list with right knee inflammation. Williams pitched innings in 2021 for the Padres, giving up one run. On September 3, Williams was designated for assignment by the Padres.
Miami Marlins
Williams was claimed off waivers by the Miami Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League East, East Division. The ...
on September 6, 2021. Williams pitched in six games for the Marlins, posting a 7.11 ERA with 3 strikeouts. On September 22, Williams was designated for assignment by the Marlins. On September 27, Williams elected free agency
In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
.
San Francisco Giants
On March 20, 2022, Williams signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
. In 27 appearances for the Triple–A Sacramento River Cats
The Sacramento River Cats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and are the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Prior to 2015, the River Cats were the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland ...
, he struggled to a 2–1 record and 4.69 ERA with 68 strikeouts across innings pitched. Williams was released by the Giants organization on July 17.
Seattle Mariners (second stint)
On July 22, 2022, Williams signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
. Pitching for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers
The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, ...
, he was 2-1 with one save and a 1.14 ERA in innings. Williams elected free agency following the season on November 10.
On January 30, 2023, Williams re-signed with the Mariners on a minor league contract that included an invitation to spring training. He made 32 relief outings for Tacoma during the year, struggling to a 7.47 ERA with 30 strikeouts across innings pitched. Williams elected free agency on November 6.
Algodoneros de Unión Laguna
On March 1, 2024, Williams signed with the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna
The Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (English: Laguna Union Cottoneers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB). Based in Torreón, Coahuila, they play in the North Division of LMB.
History Early years
The team was established ...
of the Mexican League
The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country.
The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...
. In 47 games, he went 3–0 with a 2.63 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 48 innings of relief. He was selected as a Mexican League All-Star in 2024.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Taylor
1991 births
Living people
Algodoneros de Unión Laguna players
American expatriate baseball players in Mexico
Baseball players from Washington (state)
Biloxi Shuckers players
21st-century American sportsmen
Brevard County Manatees players
Colorado Springs Sky Sox players
El Paso Chihuahuas players
Helena Brewers players
Kent State Golden Flashes baseball players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Miami Marlins players
Milwaukee Brewers players
Mt. Hood Saints baseball players
Naranjeros de Hermosillo players
People from Camas, Washington
Sacramento River Cats players
San Antonio Missions players
San Diego Padres players
Seattle Mariners players
Baseball players from Vancouver, Washington
Tacoma Rainiers players
Washington State Cougars baseball players
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players