When the Oakland A’s acquired Michael Taylor as part of the Roy Halladay trade (he had a quick stop in Toronto before being shipped to Oakland in exchange for Brett Wallace), they thought they were acquiring a future star outfielder. 

At 6′6″, 260 pounds, the A’s expected Taylor’s power to continue to develop (he had hit .320 with 20 HR and 84 RBI in 428 AB in ‘09), but instead they got a player who regressed further than anyone could have imagined.

Playing in the homer-happy Pacific Coast League, Taylor struggled to the following line: 464 AB, .272 Batting Average (126 Hits), 6 HR, 78 RBI, 79 R, 16 SB, .348 OBP, .392 SLG, .328 BABIP.

Obviously, there is one glaring number we should be concerned with, but there are actually a lot of positives that should not be overlooked.  First is his eye at the plate, as he posted a 9.90 percent walk rate vs. a 19.83 percent strikeout rate.  Is that an elite mark?  No, but it is significantly better than many power hitting prospects.

At 24 years old (he turns 25 on December 19), it’s nice to see him able to make contact, while also take some walks.  Couple that with a believable BABIP, and you have to like the prospects of him hitting for a solid average, with or without power.

You also have to like his ability to drive in runs, despite the lack of home runs.  He tied for 19th in the PCL, though he was the only player with single-digit home runs and at least 75 RBI (Matt Miller of the Colorado Rockies had 81 RBI on 10 HR).  The fact that he was able to produce RBI without the power stroke shows that he was able to adapt.  Another good sign.

Then, for a man his size, he still managed to steal 16 bases in 21 attempts, while hitting six triples.  In 2009 he had 21 stolen bases and five triples.  He has some speed, and while he’s not going to be an elite stolen base option, the fact that he’ll contribute there significantly helps his value.

Now, we need to talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room.  What happened to the power?  Instead of taking the next step forward, it seemed to all but disappear.  Unfortunately, nothing appears to have changed in the Arizona Fall League, with two home runs in 108 AB (however, he has six stolen bases and a 15.74 percent  strikeout rate).

So what happened?  Baseball America, who ranked him as Oakland’s 10th-best prospect heading into 2011, had this to say:

“A physical specimen, Taylor still hit balls out to all fields during batting practice but rarely carried that power over into games in 2010. Scouts wondered where his bat speed had gone, and he had issues with a dead start in his swing. Oakland worked to shorten his stroke and improve his angle to the ball.”

From that, it sounds like the A’s are working with him, and there has to be hope he can discover the stroke that everyone anticipated being there.  If that happened, you had better bet that Oakland finds a spot for him in the outfield (currently David DeJesus, Coco Crisp and Ryan Sweeney are set there).

I would fully anticipate him making his major league debut in 2011, and with his upside he should be on the radar of all fantasy owners.  Depending on your format, he likely will be worth drafting and stashing if you are in a keeper league and have the room.  Otherwise, especially in five outfielder formats, monitor the waiver wire.  When he gets his chance, he’ll likely be worth grabbing.

You have to believe that it’s just a matter of time before he puts it all together, and when he does, you have a perennial 20/20 threat on your hands.

What are your thoughts on Taylor?  Will he have value in 2011?  How good do you think he could be?

Make sure to check out our other Prospect Reports as we wrap up 2010 and head towards 2011:

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