Taylor Featherston
| AB | 219 |
|---|---|
| AVG | .16 |
| OBP | .221 |
| SLG | .256 |
| HR | 4 |
- Full name Taylor Joseph Featherston
- Born 10/08/1989 in Houston, TX
- Profile Ht.: 6'1" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Texas Christian
- Debut 04/12/2015
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Drafted in the 5th round (168th overall) by the Colorado Rockies in 2011 (signed for $144,900).
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Featherston was one of the heroes in Texas Christian's run to its first College World Series appearance last year, batting .389 with 16 RBIs in 11 NCAA tournament games. He led the Horned Frogs in hitting (.347), on-base percentage (.425) and runs (48) during the 2011 regular season and has a better bat than most middle infielders. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound righthanded hitter, he makes consistent contact and has enough pop to hit 10 homers in a big league season if he gets a little stronger and uses his legs better in his swing. He has average speed and good instincts on the bases. The question with Featherston is whether he can stay at shortstop. He has a strong arm and enough range but two different area scouts used the exact same phrase to describe his defense: "He plays shortstop like his hair is on fire." Featherston had 24 errors in 55 games, most coming when he rushed himself or tried to make an impossible play. He profiles well enough as an offensive second baseman but could sneak into the first three rounds to a team that believes he can settle down at short.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Featherston has moved up one level a year since the Rockies drafted him in the fifth round in 2011. He joined the Angels as a major league Rule 5 pick in December. Featherston has big power for a middle infielder. He likes to ambush fastballs and attack early, but that approach leads to too big a swing as Featherston seeks more power. He has a line-drive swing and now hits the ball to the right side more frequently. He profiles as a utility player in the majors but needs to increase his versatility with more time at third base. Featherston has enough range and good arm strength at shortstop. He makes instinctive plays but needs to keep working on staying aggressive and coming through the ball on the routine plays. Featherston will compete with Grant Green and Josh Rutledge for time around the infield in 2015. -
Featherston played shortstop at Texas Christian and helped lead the team to the College World Series in 2010. The following year, the Rockies drafted him in the fifth round and signed him for $144,900. Featherston played shortstop exclusively at short-season Tri-City in 2011, but he shifted to primarily second base in 2012 with Trevor Story and Rosell Herrera at low Class A Asheville. He continued to play mostly second in high Class A in 2013 after missing the first couple weeks of the season with an oblique strain. Featherston grinds out at-bats and can consistently get the barrel to the ball, as evidenced by his 54 extra-base hits in 2013, including 13 homers. He's a savvy baserunner with average speed, he plays hard and has leadership skills. Featherston has above-average range at second base, where his shortstop's arm is a plus. He needs work on turning the double play to have utility potential. Featherston ought to play at Double-A Tulsa in 2014.
