Reggie Taylor facts for kids

Reginald Tremain "Reggie" Taylor (born January 12, 1977) is an American who used to play professional baseball. He was an outfielder, which means he played in the outfield area of the baseball field. Reggie played for three different teams in Major League Baseball (MLB): the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. His MLB career lasted for five years. Reggie is about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs around 178 pounds. He was a left-handed batter and threw the ball with his right-handed arm.

Reggie was chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Draft on June 1, 1995. He officially signed with the Phillies on June 13, 1995.

Early Baseball Career

Playing in the Minor Leagues

In 1999, while playing in the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system, Reggie Taylor hit 10 triples. A triple is when a batter hits the ball and reaches third base safely.

During the off-season, Reggie hurt his shoulder. This injury needed surgery, so he couldn't play winter baseball again until May 2000.

Returning from Injury

When Reggie came back from his injury in the 2000 baseball season, he joined the Triple-A team called Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Just two games after returning, Reggie made history. He became only the second player from Scranton to get 5 hits in a single game. During that season, Reggie played in 89 games and hit 15 home runs, which was his personal best at the time. Because of his great performance, the Philadelphia Phillies called Reggie up to their main team in September of that year.

Major League Baseball Career

First Steps in MLB

Reggie Taylor made his first appearance in Major League Baseball on September 17, 2000. He was 23 years old at the time. He got his very first MLB hit on September 29, 2000.

Reggie played for the Philadelphia Phillies for two baseball seasons.

Moving to New Teams

On March 28, 2002, the Philadelphia Phillies traded Reggie Taylor to the Cincinnati Reds. In return, the Reds sent a player named Héctor Mercado to the Phillies.

Reggie became a free agent on December 21, 2003. This meant he could sign with any team he wanted. He decided to sign with the Cincinnati Reds again on January 19, 2004. However, on June 30, 2004, the Reds released him.

Reggie then signed with the Chicago White Sox as a free agent on July 9, 2004. He became a free agent again on October 15, 2004. On December 23, 2004, Reggie signed with the Colorado Rockies.

After about two months with the Rockies, Reggie was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on April 8, 2005. The Rockies received a player named Bobby Seay in this trade. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays released Reggie on July 20, 2005. Just six days later, on July 26, 2005, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Reggie became a free agent one more time on October 15, 2005.

Playing in Independent and Mexican Leagues

In 2006, Reggie played for the Lancaster Barnstormers. This team is part of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He had a good season, hitting for a .302 batting average with 23 home runs and 77 RBIs (Runs Batted In).

In 2007, he played in only 15 games for the Long Island Ducks. In 2008, Reggie played for two different teams: the Richmond Braves, which is a Triple-A team for the Atlanta Braves, and the Olmecas de Tabasco in the Mexican League. He hit .353 for Olmecas de Tabasco but only .248 for Richmond.

In 2009, Reggie split his time between the independent Sioux Falls Canaries and two Mexican League teams, the Olmecas and Dorados de Chihuahua.

On October 10, 2009, Reggie Taylor signed with the Kansas City Royals. However, he never played a game for their organization. He returned to play for the Olmecas in 2010.