San Diego Padres: Scouting report on outfield prospect Taylor Trammell

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Taylor Trammell #5 of Team USA and San Diego Padres prospect. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

We take a deep dive into the scouting report on the San Diego Padres second best ranked prospect, outfielder Taylor Trammell.

It was a bit surprising when the San Diego Padres decided to trade one of their best outfielders last season in Franmil Reyes (along with two prospects), but they got back a potential superstar outfielder in Taylor Trammell.

The former 35th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 draft is the 28th best prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com.

light. Related Story. Who is Taylor Trammell

In the year he was drafted he hit .303/.374 with 2 home runs and 24 stolen bases in the Reds Rookie League at age 18.

He spent all of 2017 at Single-A where he hit .281/.368 with 13 home runs and 41 stolen bases in 129 games.

In 2018 he spent the entire season at High-A and hit .277/.375 with 8 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 110 games.

That fall he hit .298/.359 with 6 stolen bases in the Arizona Fall League.

The Reds finally moved him up to Double-A to start 2019 and he hit just .236 but had an OBP of .349 and stole 17 bases with 6 home runs.

After being traded he played 32 games with the Padres Double-A team and struggled a bit hitting just .229/.316 with 4 home runs and 3 stolen bases.

Overall in 2019 he hit .234/.340 with 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Those certainly weren’t the numbers he was hoping for in his first season facing quality Minor League competition, but other than the batting average his other numbers were on par with his norms.

The left-handed 22-year-old still has something to prove at the Minor League level, but the talent and athleticism is there for him to be a special player one day.

Taylor Trammell #5 of Team USA. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

The tools

At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds he certainly has the size and speed to stick in center field at the next level.

But he’s actually spent most of his Minor League career in left field, and if he bulks up a little bit and adds some power I think that’s where he ultimately ends up.

Although, depending on what takes place over the next year or so, the Padres might have a bigger need in center.

They went pretty hard after a center fielder this offseason in Shogo Akiyama, so that may tell you where they think Trammell fits down the road.

His speed is the best tool that he possesses and I could see him being a 40 stolen base guy in the big leagues.

FanGraphs has his hit tool at about average and that’s kind of how I view it as well.

He’s great at getting on base with a walk percentage around 12 percent and OBP of .363. But he does strikeout a good bit with over 120 whiffs in two of his four Minor League seasons and his strikeout percentage in Double-A last year was around 25 percent.

Also, for someone who doesn’t have elite power, he pulls the ball far too often with a pull percentage of almost 50 percent in 2019.

His speed allows him to make up for his shortcomings on defense, and he doesn’t have a very strong arm, which is why most think he ends up in left.

Taylor Trammell #5 of the the U.S. Team . (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

What does the future hold

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I’ve never really been that high on Trammell, and looking at the numbers nothing really jumps off the page other than the stolen bases. He’s had one season with an OPS over .800 and that was in Single-A in 2017.

But after watching some video on him I can see why some would be excited about the potential.

He has a sweet lefty swing that I think could lead to him being a 20 home run hitter one day if he bulks up just a tad.

However, you don’t want to take away from that elite speed, which is by far his best tool. His ability to get on base and steal bases is what makes him so special.

While I don’t think he’s a center fielder, I think the Padres need for one is while he’ll ultimately end up there.

And I don’t see him being a middle of the order bat. He possibly has the chance to hit at the top of the lineup if he can maintain his speed and OBP as he moves up.

But I also think he could be a huge contributor at the bottom of the lineup getting on base and setting up the top of the lineup.

Some people may not like me saying this, but he’s basically a healthy version of Franchy Cordero.

And that’s no knock in my book as I love Franchy. But for those thinking Trammell is going to be a superstar one day, I just don’t see it happening.

Next. 2 more moves to wrap things up. dark

I like Trammell and think he will be a very good every day outfielder one day, but if he is someone teams are targeting in trade talks, I wouldn’t hesitate moving him in a blockbuster type of deal.

Home / Padres Prospects

We take a deep dive into the scouting report on the San Diego Padres second best ranked prospect, outfielder Taylor Trammell.

The tools

What does the future hold

More from Friars on Base

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