Grant

Taylor

Taylor was summoned in the ninth inning to close out the game against the Guardians with a two-run lead. He struck out the first batter, then worked around a walk with two groundouts to secure the win for Chicago with his third save of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander is the only reliever worth rostering in the White Sox bullpen despite not working every save chance. He’s posted a 2.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and a 65/15 K/BB ratio across 45 2/3 innings.

Taylor was called upon in the eighth inning with the White Sox clinging to a one-run advantage. He issued a one-out walk to Steven Kwan but escaped any damage and recorded a pair of strikeouts. He was then sent back out for the ninth when trouble ensued. He issued a leadoff walk to Rhys Hoskins, then after retiring Kahlil Watson on a fly ball, served up Rocchio’s game-winning blast. It’s Taylor’s first loss on the season. Hopefully it won’t cost him save chances going forward, as he still seems to be the most capable option at the back of the White Sox’ bullpen.

There’s zero doubt that Taylor has the stuff to blossom into one of the premier relief pitchers in baseball. However, he seems unlikely to function as a traditional closer and the White Sox are always going to handle his workload with extreme caution. He won’t offer enough volume to be impactful in shallow mixed leagues, but he’s a decent ratio booster in deeper fantasy leagues.

Taylor took over on the mound for Chicago with the game tied at 1-1 in the eighth inning. He tossed two perfect frames, striking out four batters before the White Sox walked it off with a run in the bottom of the ninth, giving Taylor the victory. The 24-year-old right-hander has had some inconsistencies this season, but has been the best option for Chicago in the back end of the bullpen, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 60/12 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings while converting two saves.

It was a tough break for Taylor, who was back on the mound today after throwing 50 pitches between Sunday and Monday. Seranthony Domínguez, on the other hand, had a second straight day off after throwing 49 pitches and taking blown saves in both of those games. Taylor seems likely to factor into more save chances if Domínguez continues to struggle, but he’s also having issues at the moment; he’s given up eight runs — six earned — over 6 2/3 innings in his last five appearances.

Seranthony Domínguez blew the save in the ninth, but it’s difficult to argue Taylor should have received the chance when he’s given up homers in each of his past two appearances. The young right-hander will go on runs of looking unstoppable, and he’ll need to sustain that to eventually usurp the closer role. Consider Taylor a high-end stash who could become something for now.

Watching an inning like this from Taylor can give a baseball fan goosebumps. He made mincemeat of Adolis García, Edmundo Sosa, and Kyle Schwarber with three strikeouts and was in control the entire time. He was up 0-2 on all three hitters, regularly flashed triple digits with his fastball, and forced six swings-and-misses in just one inning of work. If he’s ever unleashed as the White Sox’s full-time closer, he’d instantly be one of the nastiest in the league. His last save came nearly three weeks ago though, so be on the lookout if he actually takes this job over.

Some interesting bullpen usage for the White Sox today, as Grant Taylor came in during the sixth with a 2-1 and escaped a jam for Anthony Kay. He then worked a scoreless seventh. It was a 4-1 game when Domínguez entered, but it doesn’t seem likely that he would have been asked for a two-inning save after working a scoreless ninth in a tie game Friday. Perhaps Bryan Hudson would have been in line for a save, but it proved moot after the White Sox made it a 7-1 game in line for the ninth. Trevor Richards finished up at that point. Hudson could still get a save Sunday, since we assume both Domínguez and Taylor will be unavailable.

Seranthony Domínguez got an extra day off after tossing 32 pitches and blowing the save in Sunday’s loss to the Cubs. Taylor got the call in the ninth with a one-run lead and slammed the door on Seattle, striking out the side for his first save. The 24-year-old right-hander has posted a 1.78 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 38/8 K/BB ratio across 25 1/3 innings. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Taylor begin to take more save chances from Domínguez, who’s gone 10-for-13 in save chances and holds a 4.82 ERA over 18 2/3 innings.

Taylor continues to post some of the best ERA estimators and pitch-modeling grades in MLB, and his results are finally beginning to match them. He’s up to 19 strikeouts in 13 scoreless innings over his last nine appearances. Taylor threw a cutter 17 percent of the time last season, and it was his worst pitch. Replacing it with more sliders and a new sinker has helped him match his underlying numbers this year. The White Sox still haven’t shown interest in using him as a closer over Seranthony Domínguez, but he’s becoming the best pitcher in this bullpen while capable of tossing multiple innings any time out.