Beau Ritchie Taylor (born February 13, 1990) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

Career

Amateur

Taylor attended

Rockledge High School Rockledge High School is located in Rockledge, Florida, USA, and is part of the Brevard Public Schools District. History Rockledge High School was founded in 1970 on the site formerly named Cocoa High School. Academics AICE Program In 2005, Roc ...

Rockledge, Florida Rockledge is the oldest city in Brevard County, Florida. The city's population was 24,926 at the 2010 United States Census, and is part of the Palm Bay−Melbourne− Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Rockledge was officially ...

and the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

(UCF). He played for the

UCF Knights baseball The UCF Knights baseball team represents The University of Central Florida in National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I. The Knights compete in the American Athletic Conference (The American). The Knights play their home games o ...

team, joining the team as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

but converting to

to keep his scholarship. In 2010, he played

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 ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...

for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.

Oakland Athletics

The

selected Taylor in the fifth round of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

. He was suspended for the first 50 games of the 2017 season due to testing positive for

Adderall Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug called mixed amphetamine salts containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio bet ...

without a prescription. He became a free agent after the 2017 season, and signed a new contract with the Athletics. On September 1, 2018, Taylor was selected to the

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, and ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In seven games during his rookie campaign, he went 1–for–5 (.200) with one walk. On November 2, Taylor was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A. He rejected the assignment and elected free agency the same day. On November 9, 2018, Taylor re-signed with Oakland on a minor league deal contract. He was assigned to Triple–A Las Vegas to begin the season. On June 8, 2019, Oakland added Taylor to their major league roster following an injury to

Nick Hundley Nicholas John Hundley (born September 8, 1983) is an American former professional baseball catcher and current front office executive. He is currently a special assistant to the general manager for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Ba ...

. On June 18, Taylor hit his first major league home run off

Gabriel Ynoa Gabriel Ynoa Gómez (born May 26, 1993) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican Baseball League. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles, in Ni ...

in a 16-2 victory over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

. On August 14, Taylor 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 ...

following the promotion of

Corban Joseph Corban Reece Joseph (born October 28, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, San Franc ...

Toronto Blue Jays

On August 16, 2019, Taylor was claimed off waivers by the

. He played in one game for Toronto, going 0–for–2, and spent most of his time with the Triple–A

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

. On September 7, Taylor was designated for assignment after Anthony Kay was promoted.

Oakland Athletics (second stint)

On September 10, 2019, the

claimed Taylor off waivers. On September 25, Taylor was designated for assignment. He elected free agency on October 8, 2019.

Cleveland Indians

On December 6, 2019, Taylor signed a minor league contract with the

. The Indians selected Taylor's contract on July 28, 2020. Overall with the 2020 Cleveland Indians, Taylor batted .048 with no home runs and 2 RBIs in 7 games. On March 27, 2021, Taylor was designated for assignment.

Cincinnati Reds

On April 3, 2021, Taylor was claimed off waivers by the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

. Taylor spent the 2021 season with the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...

. He played in 75 games for Louisville, hitting .255 with 4 home runs and 23 RBI's. On September 27, 2021, Taylor was designated for assignment by the Reds. On October 13, Taylor elected free agency.

Baltimore Orioles

On March 18, 2022, Taylor signed a minor league contract with the

. Taylor played in 23 games for the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

, hitting .183/.352/.282 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI. He was released by the Orioles organization on July 20.

Oakland Athletics (third stint)

On July 29, 2022, Taylor signed a minor league deal with the

. Playing in 27 games for the Triple-A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevad ...

to close out the year, Taylor slashed .250/.375/.430 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

High Point Rockers

On April 28, 2023, Taylor signed with the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. In 77 games for the Rockers, Taylor hit .291/.386/.453 with 9 home runs and 61 RBI.

Seattle Mariners

On April 9, 2024, Taylor signed a minor league contract with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They 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 League ...

. However, on April 14, it was announced that Taylor had retired and taken the first base coach role with the Mariners' Triple–A affiliate, the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960. ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Beau 1990 births Living people People from Rockledge, Florida Baseball players from Brevard County, Florida Major League Baseball catchers Oakland Athletics players Toronto Blue Jays players Cleveland Indians players UCF Knights baseball players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players Vermont Lake Monsters players Burlington Bees players Stockton Ports players Midland RockHounds players Gigantes del Cibao players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Nashville Sounds players Las Vegas Aviators players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Norfolk Tides players