Joe Taylor (outfielder) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joe Taylor |
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| Outfielder | |||
| Born: March 2, 1926 Chapman, Alabama |
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| Died: March 18, 1993 (aged 67) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
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| debut | |||
| August 26, 1954, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| July 21, 1959, for the Baltimore Orioles | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .249 | ||
| Home runs | 9 | ||
| RBI | 31 | ||
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Joe Cephus Taylor (born March 2, 1926 – died March 18, 1993) was an American baseball player. He played for 18 years in both semi-professional and professional baseball. He spent parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Joe was born in Chapman, Alabama, and grew up in Pittsburgh. He batted and threw with his right hand. He was 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
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Joe Taylor's Baseball Journey
Joe Taylor was a strong outfielder who hit the ball well. His baseball career began in 1946 in semi-pro leagues. These were leagues where players were paid, but not as much as in professional leagues. From 1949 to 1951, he played in the Negro leagues. These leagues were for African-American players before baseball became fully integrated. He played for teams like the Chicago American Giants.
After the Negro leagues, Joe moved to minor league baseball (MiLB). By 1954, he was a star player in Triple-A. This is the highest level of minor league baseball. He played for the Ottawa A's in the International League. That year, he had a great batting average of .323. He also hit 23 home runs.
Playing in Major League Baseball
Because of his excellent performance, Joe was called up to the American League in August 1954. He joined the Philadelphia Athletics. He played 18 games for them, getting 13 hits. However, he only batted .224. This was during the team's last days in Philadelphia before they moved to Kansas City.
Joe did not move with the Athletics to Kansas City. In 1955, he played for three different teams in the top minor leagues. He had two more strong seasons playing for the Seattle Rainiers. This team was in the Pacific Coast League. His good play earned him another chance in MLB. He joined the Cincinnati Redlegs late in the 1957 season.
Joe batted .262 for the Redlegs. He had 28 hits, including four home runs, in 33 games. He started 24 games as an outfielder. However, at the end of the season, he was part of a big trade. The Redlegs traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals. They wanted to get more pitchers.
Later Major League Years
Joe started the 1958 season in Triple-A with the Omaha Cardinals. He was called up to St. Louis in May. He didn't play much, mostly as a pinch hitter. A pinch hitter is a player who bats in place of another player. He batted .304 in 23 at bats.
On July 25, the Baltimore Orioles claimed Joe. This means they picked him up from the Cardinals. He played 50 games for the Orioles over two seasons. His batting average with them was .239. His last game in Major League Baseball was on July 21, 1959. He was a pinch hitter against his first MLB team, the Athletics.
After his time in MLB, Joe returned to Triple-A. He played for the Vancouver Mounties. He was chosen for the Pacific Coast League All-Star team for a second time. He continued to play in the high minor leagues in the United States and Mexico until 1963. Then, he retired from baseball.
Career Highlights
In total, Joe Taylor played in 119 MLB games over parts of four years. He played for four different teams. His career batting average was .249. He had 74 hits, including 16 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs. He also had 31 runs batted in (RBI). An RBI means he helped a teammate score a run. Besides playing in the U.S., he also played for the Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
