Samad Taylor Has Become a Fun Spark Plug the Padres Needed

When news broke that Ramon Laureano was likely to miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his right hip, it was a major blow to an already thin and struggling lineup. 

Enter Samad Taylor, who has provided the jolt the San Diego Padres desperately needed. 

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The team entered the week needing answers on offense, having dropped 11 of their last 14 games, mostly by stranding runners in scoring position. 

Now, Taylor’s got seven games under his belt. In that time, he’s hit .375/.444/.542 with eight RBI and two stolen bases. 

It doesn’t appear that Taylor will be heading back to Triple-A anytime soon, and he is quickly becoming a fan favorite in San Diego. 

Every time he steps in the box or a ball is hit in his direction, it feels like something special is about to happen. Whether it’s a stolen base, a diving play, or a clutch hit, he has brought on infectious energy that the Padres have been missing. 

So let’s take a look at his stint so far and highlight how Taylor has helped re-energize a team that appeared to be heading in the wrong direction.

The Spark Plug

Taylor picked up his first hit of the season and made a smooth sliding grab in foul territory last Sunday against the New York Mets, but he picked things up in the series against the Cincinnati Reds. 

On Monday, he did a little bit of everything, starting in the second inning, when he gunned down Matt McLain at the plate to preserve the tie. Taylor then made a leaping catch near the wall in left-center, robbing McLain of an extra-base hit. 

Following those defensive highlights, he laid down a push bunt to score Gavin Sheets in the seventh to put the Padres up 3-2. The following inning, he drove in two with a single to left, extending the lead to 5-2. And for good measure, he swiped second and would come around to score the game’s final run. 

That was all in one game. It wouldn’t be shocking if you heard Fernando Tatis Jr. or Jackson Merrill pull those things off, but nope, it’s Taylor doing all the little things right. 

Even on Tuesday’s tough loss, Taylor was a bright spot. He had two hits, a walk, and a stolen base. One of those hits came in the tenth, driving in the game-tying run. And the stolen base was immediately afterwards, putting himself in a position to score the winning run. 

As if he couldn’t do any more, on Wednesday, Taylor provided another clutch moment, with a game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, a game in which the Padres would go on to win. 

What has made Taylor’s impact stand out isn’t necessarily the numbers, but the way he has accumulated them. 

On Saturday, Taylor continued to make his mark, this time nailing the first home run of his big league career off of Trey Gibson of the Baltimore Orioles.

Taylor isn’t going to turn into a prolific slugger or post eye-popping exit velocities. Instead, he is creating value in other phases of the game. He applies pressure with his speed, makes plays on defense, and consistently finds ways to bring runners home. 

Final Thoughts

This is what makes baseball so much fun: you never know which players will step up in big moments throughout a season. It is even more enjoyable when it comes from an unlikely source like Taylor.

And who said old-school baseball is dying? Taylor is bringing that style of play to a team that’s desperately needed it and making things exciting to watch.

At some point, Taylor will cool off, but it’s safe to say that he is going to be the starting left fielder for the foreseeable future.

Whether Taylor ultimately becomes an everyday contributor or settles into a utility role remains to be seen. Baseball is a game of adjustments, and opposing teams will eventually have a larger scouting report on him. 

But that covers up the overall point here. Right now, the Padres need someone to provide a spark, and Taylor has done exactly that.

His production has come at a time when the club desperately needed a lift, and his energy has been evident every time he takes the field. Sometimes a season can change because of a superstar catching fire. Other times, it can change because an unexpected player arrives and reminds everyone how quickly momentum can shift.

Even if Taylor were to do nothing for the rest of the season, we could very well look back and say this was a turning point for the team. With them in a downward spiral and losing 11 of their previous 14 games, he did everything in his power to make an impact. In doing so, he may have helped keep the Padres afloat during one of their most difficult stretches of the season.