Taylor Rogers Stats & Scouting Report

IP	60
ERA	2.4
WHIP	1.25
BB/9	3.3
SO/9	9.6

Full name Taylor Allen Rogers
Born 12/17/1990 in Denver, CO
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 190 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Kentucky
Debut 04/14/2016
Drafted in the 11th round (340th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2012 (signed for $100,000).

View Draft Report

Rogers won't blow up any radar guns, but his pitchability made him a weekend starter for three years at Kentucky and helped him earn the win at the Cape Cod League all-star game last summer. At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Rogers is more skinny than projectable, so his stuff isn't likely to get much better. He'll touch 90-91 mph with his fastball early in games but usually settles in at 87-88 mph. His curveball and changeup are effective, and he compensates for his lack of a plus pitch with outstanding command of his offerings. He has sound mechanics and repeats them well, though at times he's around the strike zone too much.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Signed for $100,000 out of the 11th round, Rogers drew inspiration from watching 2012 draft classmate Tyler Duffey (fifth round) succeed in the majors down the stretch. After ranking second in the minors with 174 regular-season innings, trailing only fellow Triple-A Rochester lefty Pat Dean, Rogers headed to the Arizona Fall League and pushed his combined total toward 200 innings. Twin brother of Tyler Rogers, a Giants minor league pitching prospect, Rogers shows plus command and works at 90-93 mph with late movement on his fastball. His slurvy breaking ball, including a slower version at 76 mph, has helped him dominate lefties (.411 OPS). His changeup, however, still lacks the requisite separation, as shown by the .843 OPS and 41 extra-base hits he allowed to righties. He focused heavily on the change in Arizona, throwing as many as 15 per outing. Wiry strong with a smooth, low-effort delivery, Rogers holds runners and fields his position well. After being added to the 40-man roster in November, Rogers could bid for a big league rotation spot by midseason in 2016. At worst, with his profile against lefties, he could transition into a situational weapon out of the bullpen.
An 11th-rounder who signed for $100,000 in 2012, Rogers could soon become the third or fourth ex-Kentucky Wildcat to pitch for the Twins at the big league level, depending on Alex Meyer's longawaited arrival. Rogers touches 94 mph with his fastball, which grades as solid-average at 90-93 with late movement. He can throw his slurvy breaking ball at two different speeds, depending on the need, but he is still trying to make it sharper. Lefthanders hit just .217 and slugged .287 against Rogers, who has a solid frame and a smooth, low-effort delivery. An aggressive strike-thrower with strong command, Rogers is still working to refine his changeup, which he throws too hard at times. A good athlete with a deep competitive streak, he holds runners and fields his position. He should open 2015 at Triple-A Rochester, where he will be phone call away from continuing the Twins' Lexington pipeline.
Signed for $100,000 as an 11th-round pick in 2012, Rogers' younger brother Tyler is a submarining reliever in the Giants system. Taylor's fastball touches 93 mph and is solid average at 90-92 with late movement. His breaking ball is more of a slurve and needs to get sharper, though it helped him issue strike out nearly one-third (42 of 140) of lefthanders in 2013 at two Class A levels. Equipped with a wiry build and a deep competitive streak, Rogers is an aggressive strike-thrower who just needs to refine his changeup in order to make that next leap. His changeup improved late in 2013, helping him post a 0.89 ERA in 40 August innings, but too often he throws it without enough separation from his fastball. He threw nine shutout innings (with nine strikeouts and one walk) for high Class A Fort Myers in the Florida State League playoffs. He showed his durability by lasting at least six innings in eight of his last 10 starts, including the playoffs. Rogers is a back-end starter if it all works and will be tested at Double-A New Britain in 2014.

Draft Prospects

Rogers won't blow up any radar guns, but his pitchability made him a weekend starter for three years at Kentucky and helped him earn the win at the Cape Cod League all-star game last summer. At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Rogers is more skinny than projectable, so his stuff isn't likely to get much better. He'll touch 90-91 mph with his fastball early in games but usually settles in at 87-88 mph. His curveball and changeup are effective, and he compensates for his lack of a plus pitch with outstanding command of his offerings. He has sound mechanics and repeats them well, though at times he's around the strike zone too much.