There was once a point in time when Taylor Lindsey was one of the Los Angeles Angels top prospects. While he had never appeared on a top 100 prospects list, and the Angels farm system was not exactly a hotbed of future major league talent, Lindsey was considered to be their top prospect following the 2013 season. He was still considered a viable minor league talent after his trade to the San Diego Padres as part of the deal to acquire Huston Street, ranking as the Padres’ 20th best prospect following the 2014 season.
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Yet, Lindsey was unable to live up to that billing. After struggling at the AAA level for the Padres last season, he began the season once again with the El Paso Chihuahuas, where he posted a meager .228/.343/.283 batting line with four extra base hits in 108 plate appearances. Demoted to the AA San Antonio Missions, Lindsey’s struggles became even worse, as he produced a .178/.262/.308 batting line in 164 plate appearances. This is obviously not the type of performance that the Padres had been expecting.
With the Padres signing of Bud Norris to a major league contract, moves needed to be made on the 40 man roster. The Padres initially cleared space by designating Dale Thayer for assignment, then followed up by removing Lindsey as well.
Busy day of roster moves for the #Padres; the team has signed Bud Norris to a big league deal for rest of '15. DFA Thayer + Taylor Lindsey.
— Corey Brock (@CoreyBrockMLB) August 11, 2015
This move does not necessarily mean that Lindsey’s time with the San Diego Padres is over. If he remains unclaimed, he would remain in their system, just not on the 40 man roster. However, as a former first round pick who has displayed decent power and speed in the past, another team may be willing to take a chance on Lindsey, hoping that with a different environment and less pressure, he could recapture his form.
While it may seem as though Lindsey has been exposed at the upper levels of the minor leagues, given his career .236/.313/.356 batting line, he may just need a mechanical adjustment in his swing. Lindsey had hit a line drive 18.9% of the time that he put the ball in play, which is not far below the norm. However, Lindsey also had a 50.0% ground ball rate with an outfield fly ball rate of a mere 14.9% at AAA. That combination underscores his low .284 batting average on balls in play.
For a team willing to take a chance on Taylor Lindsey, the talent and ability may still be there. It just does not appear as though the San Diego Padres were able to tap in to that potential and have cut their losses.