2023 MLB Draft: LSU pitcher Grant Taylor selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 51st overall pick

Taylor gets drafted by the Reds in the second round despite missing 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery.

LSU pitcher Grant Taylor has been selected with the 51st overall pick by the Chicago White Sox in the second round of the MLB Draft on Sunday night.

Taylor is the third LSU pitcher to be taken on the first day of the 2023 MLB Draft after teammates Paul Skenes and Ty Floyd. Skenes was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the first overall pick while Floyd was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the Competitive Balance Round as the 38th overall pick.

only pitched one year for LSU as he was lost for the 2023 campaign due to a torn UCL in his throwing arm before the season. In 17 appearances in his lone season with the Tigers in 2022, he finished with a record of 4-1 with a 5.81 ERA, 21 walks and 39 strikeouts as a true freshman.

Taylor was projected to be the No.2 pitcher in the starting rotation for the Tigers after he had a strong summer in the Cape Cod League and was the most impressive among LSU’s pitchers during the fall scrimmages, with some MLB scouts saying he outperformed teammate and future No.1 overall pick Paul Skenes. However, he was lost for the year before the year even started and had to get Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL.