Baseball History: Wondering What Could Have Been

Brien Taylor

Brien Taylor was going to be the next ace of the New York Yankees, the pitcher that would bring them back to the postseason. Instead, he was the second player taken with the first overall pick to never make it to the majors.

He was considered the top prospect in the game heading into the 1992 season, despite having not thrown a pitch professionally. After a solid debut, he was rates as the second best prospect in baseball going into 1993. Taylor reached AA in his second minor league season, and while he exhibited command issues, Taylor was still considered the top pitching prospect in the Eastern League. His time in the majors was coming, and likely very soon.

Instead, disaster struck in the offseason. Taylor, while attempting to defend his brother and a friend during a bar fight, injured his left shoulder. He underwent surgery, missing the entire 1994 campaign. When he returned, he had lost his velocity and any semblance of command, as he was battered in the Gulf Coast League and South Atlantic League.

One has to wonder what could have been if Taylor had not gotten in the way that night. The Yankees were on the verge of returning to dominance, and the hard throwing Taylor could have been a key part of that resurgence. Instead, he will be remembered as the second player taken with the first overall pick, along with Steve Chilcott, to never reach the majors.

Brien Taylor had the potential to be a star. Instead, one violent night at a bar ended his chance to live up to that potential.