On Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com dropped some White Sox prospect related news on X, including updates on Hagen Smith‘s workload management and Colson Montgomery‘s return to the Triple-A affiliate Charlotte Knights. The biggest piece of information, however, was that 2023 second-round pick Grant Taylor would begin making relief appearances for the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
Sure enough, on Wednesday, Taylor made his first relief appearance of the season during the seventh inning. He pitched one frame, facing the minimum while striking out two in a picture-perfect showing.
Grant Taylor works around the earlier bizarre play by striking out the next 2 batters. Just nasty. #Barons go to the B7 up 1-0. pic.twitter.com/cIxp6OIRGj
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) May 14, 2025
The question here isn’t whether or not Grant Taylor is capable of pitching out of the bullpen; any scout would most likely agree that he could eventually develop into a dominant closer. The concern is this: Why are the Sox making this move now? Taylor has yet to cause any doubt about his ability to develop into a major-league starting pitcher, and a move like this on the surface seems short-sighted.
Before anyone can draw any conclusions, Chris Getz and Brian Bannister need to answer that question. Is the plan to fully commit to Taylor as a long-term relief pitcher, or is this truly about workload management, as Merkin noted in his article? If the decision has been made that he will be a reliever moving forward, then it is fair to express some concern.
Taylor is viewed as a near lock to hit top 100 prospect lists come midseason, and has the upside to be a front-line starting pitcher once he builds his arm back up. He has been successful working as a shorter-inning starter this season, pitching to a 1.56 ERA through 17.1 innings in six starts before Wednesday’s relief appearance. He made it through three innings in just five of his six starts, however, that was due to his strict pitch count and not his performance. It was a sample size that he could build off of, and if all went right, one that he could carry into next season to work toward pitching deeper into games.
That development plan seems to be thrown out the window now, but does that mean Getz and Bannister are giving up on Taylor as a starting pitcher? Based on what Merkin has reported, it seems more like they are just going to give him a different developmental plan; one they have seen success with for pitchers like Garrett Crochet and Chris Sale. Merkin mentioned the possibility that Taylor could pitch out of the White Sox bullpen later this season, so is the plan to bring him up as a reliever now, and build him up to eventually transition back into a starter? This seems more likely, and is more in line with the quotes Merkin provided directly from Josh Barfield, assistant general manager.
Whether or not you agree with the approach, it has worked out in the past. With the success both Crochet and Sale had after transitioning from relievers to starters, and Brian Bannister’s track record, it is worth trusting the process. For Taylor, this would allow the Sox to manage his workload while at the same time, continue to challenge the righty by promoting him through the system. It also gives them options, as the Sox have long-term depth at starting pitcher and could benefit from this type of flexibility.
Whether Taylor should be the one to give them reliever flexibility is something that can surely be debated. However, there are only five rotation spots to be had long-term. With Shane Smith‘s unexpected breakout, he has all but locked up one spot. Jonathan Cannon lowered his ERA to 3.60 on Wednesday and is doing his part to cement himself into the Sox’s long-term plans. With top left-handed prospects Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith performing well in Double-A and getting ready to force Getz’s hand, there is going to be a crowded competition for 1-2 spots in this rotation.
Getting Taylor up quicker to the Major Leagues now gives the Sox the option to evaluate the situation and decide whether to make the transition back, or see if another pitcher such as Drew Thorpe (who is not far removed from being a consensus top 100 prospect) bounces back next season to prove to be a capable starting pitcher.
Again, it is likely that the plan here is not a written-in-stone designation to the bullpen. Rather, the Sox front office seems to prefer to fast-track Taylor to the big leagues in the short term, with the long-term goal still for him to be a starting pitcher. While it is true that there is no one-size-fits-all developmental plan, it remains to be seen if this approach will eventually pay off. Ultimately, the White Sox front office has agreed this is the best course of action, so now we will monitor Taylor’s career trajectory even more closely, with this decision being a key milestone for better or worse.
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