A Port Coquitlam pitcher whose career reads like a road map of the United States is hoping his route to the Major Leagues goes through Mexico.
Curtis Taylor joined the Hermosillo Naranjeros in the Mexican Pacific Winter League late last year and helped the team win the championship, sweeping the Mazatlan Venados in four straight games.
The Naranjeros now advance to the Caribbean Series against other top Latin American teams from Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Curaçao and the Dominican Republic. It begins Thursday, Feb. 1, at LoanDepot Park, the home stadium of the MLB's Miami Marlins.
Taylor pitched eight innings of relief through the Naranjeros’ playoff run, including one scoreless inning in Wednesday’s finale, a 4-0 victory. In total, he struck out 12 batters and had an earned run average of 1.13.
The 28-year-old right-hander is a free agent after finishing last season with the St. Paul Saints, the top AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, which signed him to a minor league contract in May.
Taylor played much of the year with the team’s AA affiliate, the Wichita Wind Surge, before earning a promotion for the Saints’ final three games of the season. He faced four batters in the one inning he pitched there, allowing one hit, no runs and recording two strikeouts.
In Wichita, Taylor pitched 34 games as a reliever, won two of them, lost five and had an earned run average of 3.98. He struck out 46 batters, walked 21 and allowed 19 runs in 43 innings.
Taylor was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks after catching the eye of pro scouts at the UBC.
In addition to the Diamondbacks, he’s been a part of five other Major League organizations, including the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs and the Twins but has yet to play a big league game.
His travels have taken him to teams in North Carolina, Alabama, New Hampshire, western New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
