After struggling to build legitimate offensive depth in their system during the early years of the Ben Cherington era in Pittsburgh, the Pirates have found themselves with a long list of interesting position players in their minor league system. From stars like Konnor Griffin to very solid all-around players like Duce Gourson, it’s a very deep and diverse group.
Last season alone, the Pirates had numerous players whose games took a big step forward, even if many of them were overshadowed by the tremendous rise of Konnor Griffin. Among these players who fell under the radar was former Clemson standout Will Taylor.
Taylor has consistently been well-liked by the front office ever since he was drafted in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Draft, and he’s quickly found his footing in professional baseball. He stayed impressive at the dish no matter where he went, as he hit well between both Low-A and High-A during his first full professional season.
Now on the horizon of his second full minor league season, Taylor will be a key name to watch in the Pirates’ system in 2026. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at why he’s worth keeping an eye on throughout the year.
A Deeper Look at Taylor’s 2025 Campaign
For a lot of players, their first professional season is met with challenges, struggles, and adversity as they adjust to the landscape of the minor leagues. For Will Taylor, this couldn’t have been further from the case, as he immediately hit the ground running.
Beginning with a 29-game stint in Low-A Bradenton, Taylor made an impactful first impression. He hit four homers, slashed .333/.424/.569 with eight stolen bases and an astounding 173 wRC+. He also registered a walk rate near 14%, showing that he didn’t sacrifice discipline for positive results.
While these numbers are extremely encouraging on the surface, Taylor’s underlying numbers tell an even more impressive story. He posted a barrel rate just shy of 11% along with a hard-hit rate over 39%, which indicates that his results aren’t a fluke, but instead a byproduct of positive quality of contact metrics.
Not only was the bat impressive during this span, but his speed was, too. Taylor’s speed checked in at the 81st percentile. This will be very important as he continues to climb through the minor leagues, as it’ll allow him to have positive range in center field while being a threat on the bases.
Seeing these metrics, the Pirates decided that Taylor had nothing left to prove at Low-A, and it was time to challenge him with the transition to High-A Greensboro. Taylor went on to pass the test with flying colors, as he settled in quickly after the promotion.
During his final 64 games of the season, Taylor slugged 10 homers, stole 15 bases, slashed .231/.351/.410, and posted a wRC+ of 123. Although his strikeout rate saw a small uptick, he maintained his discipline nicely, posting a walk rate just south of 12%.
Following Taylor’s impressive finish to the 2025 season, he was named the center fielder on our All-MiLB First Team. In fact, Taylor found himself in between two of the club’s most exciting offensive prospects, Edward Florentino and Esmerlyn Valdez, on this list.
Unfortunately, Statcast metrics aren’t currently available in High-A, but the surface-level numbers tell the important story of his success while in Greensboro. Taylor proved that his Low-A success was sustainable and that he’s a prospect to watch as he keeps moving through the minors.
Future Challenges in 2026
Although Taylor’s first professional season was a resounding success, his career is just beginning. He’s currently expected to make the jump to Double-A Altoona in a few weeks, a transition that’s often been regarded as the toughest jump in the minor leagues.
Of course, as players continue climbing through the minor leagues, the competition steadily improves, and the arms slowly get better. However, Double-A is often the first level where pitchers are consistently able to locate all of their pitches, especially breaking balls.
Keeping this in mind, the 2026 season will be very important for Taylor. His competition will no longer hang breaking balls as consistently, or miss over the heart of the plate with dead-zone heaters. They’ll instead be able to paint the corners and regularly create uncomfortable at-bats.
As it currently stands, there’s a very real possibility that Taylor is one of the few hitters in the Curve’s expected lineup who could do significant damage. Given that, Taylor will have little lineup protection, a luxury he enjoyed between both levels last season.
Without lineup protection, pitchers could choose to instead work around Taylor. Without willing competitors, Taylor may not see nearly as many pitches to do damage with as he did in 2025. As a result, this will truly put his patience and discipline to the test, as he’ll have to wait for pitchers to come to him rather than expanding the strike zone.
Overall, this upcoming season will give us an idea of whether or not Taylor could be considered as a legitimate offensive threat, or if he was simply having success against lower-level competition. If he passes the challenges Altoona brings, Taylor could put himself on track for a big league debut sooner rather than later.
What Could the Future Look Like for Taylor?
As I mentioned earlier in this story, the Pirates have done a much better job at developing legitimate offensive weapons over the past few seasons, which may make it a little harder for Taylor to get consistent playing time in the near future.
Especially after the Pirates’ active offseason, the big league outfield is extremely crowded right now. It’s so crowded, in fact, that the Pirates will likely be forced to send Jhostynxon Garcia to Triple-A to begin 2026, even after he’s been one of the Grapefruit League’s top performers.
However, this doesn’t mean Taylor can’t be an impactful piece of this team’s future. He’s proven he can be a dynamic player while in the lower minors, and players of this archetype are of plenty of value in the big leagues. Whether it’s offensively, defensively, or on the bases, Taylor’s skillset can impact games in a big way.
Even with a crowded outfield, Taylor can still push himself into discussions for big league playing time with a big 2026 season. Now likely just two stops away from the major leagues, Taylor could stand in quickly and play a significant role for this team.
