Brewers Spring Training Battles: Tyrone Taylor vs. Brian Anderson

Like the competition between Abraham Toro and Brice Turang, it is not strictly a head-to-head match-up. In some ways, Anderson and Taylor are not entirely in control of their destiny.

Let’s look the two of them over.

Tyrone Taylor
Tyrone Taylor was an exciting prospect drafted in the second round of the 2012 amateur draft that saw the Brewers land Brent Suter in the 31st round. His arrival took a lot of time, but since his first call-up in 2019, he has performed somewhat above average, with a career OPS+ of 107, and has manned all three outfield positions.

Taylor hits more home runs and posts a higher ISO (isolated power) than average MLB players on a percentage basis, but also strikes out slightly more often than your average player. But while his stolen base percentage is average, he is above average at taking an extra base. His BABIP is a bit below league average, so the question is whether he was unlucky.

On defense, Taylor has seen plenty of time at all three outfield positions, so he has often been available if other players got hurt or needed time off. At 29, what you see is what you get with Taylor, and what you get is a capable player that is the perfect fourth outfielder in the best-case scenarios. Worst case, he’s a decent starter.

Brian Anderson
Brian Anderson is best known as a third baseman, but during his 2018 rookie season, he played more in right field than third base. He came to the Brewers as a free agent earlier this year and is now involved in competition for playing time in right field and at third base.

Anderson posted a career OPS+ of 105, slightly lower than Taylor. That said, Anderson’s OPS comes from much better on-base skills than Taylor has shown (9.3% walk percentage to Taylor’s 6.2%), but Anderson doesn’t have the power that Taylor has shown. He strikes out about as much as Taylor, as evidenced by matching 23.3% strikeout percentages.

On defense, though, Anderson has seen action at all four infield positions in the majors, as well as right and left field. In one sense, he could be seen as a replacement for the departed Jace Peterson, who covered multiple positions before Oakland lured him away with a two-year deal. Like Taylor, what you see is what you get with Brian Anderson, who will be 30 this season, and like Taylor, the best case is that Anderson is a solid bench option.

Overview
Both of these players would be acceptable starters in right field. That said, in a real sense, neither completely controls their 2023 destiny. Anderson’s playing time won’t be just up to his performance; it also depends on what happens with Luis Urias, Brice Turang, and several other players on the infield. Tyrone Taylor, similarly, will see his playing time affected by what happens with Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Wiemer, among others.

There are all of those factors, plus the greatest variable for any team or player navigating the long baseball year: injuries. Taylor will be sidelined for almost the first half of the Cactus League schedule due to a sprained elbow, which tips things in the direction of Anderson but is mostly a reminder of how both players will be needed before the season is out.

If both Taylor and Anderson play a lot, the Brewers will be fine in 2023. If they are riding the bench a lot, though, that may be one of the best-case scenarios for the Brewers because it will mean that the talent in the minors has forced the MLB team’s hand, which could be excellent news for the Brewers in the medium-to-long term.