Cincinnati Reds scouting report on OF Taylor Trammell
Scouting Report
Size/Build
Taylor Trammell is listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds. He is built long and lean, with long legs and arms in his frame but also definitely tremendous developed athletic build on that frame. He swings and throws left-handed.
Hitting
Contact (55) – Trammell is a guy whose ability to make consistent hard contact is quite surprising when you look at his overall frame. He has long arms and lean muscle in his frame that would often lead to struggles with a consistent swing path and a slowed swing. Instead, if anything, Trammell’s biggest issue is that his swing at times can get a bit too QUICK. He has remarkably quick wrists and generates a ton of bat speed as he brings the bat through the zone, but he does generate that speed with such veracity that it could be an issue for him to control that speed through the zone. Regardless, his quick bat and the strength behind it will continue to generate plenty of hard contact that should result in at least above-average contact results.
Power (50) – In batting practice, it’s hard to believe a 50 would make sense on Trammell. Average power would simply not seem to make sense for him. However, when he gets into game situations, he dips his lead shoulder in his stance, and leans a bit forward at the waist, whereas he’s more upright in his BP swings.
That big difference right now is where it is hard to know how to grade Trammell in his power. He absolutely has the raw power to produce plus power in game, but it would take an adjustment in his setup at the plate, and he seems to utilize his setup to access his blazing speed more instantly, so there’s a trade-off in making adjustments for power on the surface.
Eye (60) – One of the things that has been impressive from day 1 with Trammell has been his impressive zone recognition, something that most multi-sport athletes tend to be rawer in their development when entering pro ball. That has allowed Trammell to move from a much higher entrance point, making significant strides already in pitch recognition, something most hitters struggle to get to until they’ve built up zone recognition that Trammell already had when he entered pro ball.
Base Running/Fielding
Speed (70) – It could be argued that even a 70 for Trammell is underselling his elite speed. He has legit world-class speed at his top end, and even with longer legs, he can access that top speed fairly quick, something that many players with longer legs struggle with.
Defense (70) – While Trammell has better reads off of the bat in left field than he does in center field, his speed covers for the slight difference between the two. He could be immediately one of the best defenders in left field upon hitting the major leagues, with good glove work and good instincts along with elite speed.
Arm (40) – There’s just no kind way to put it. Trammell’s arm is weak. He’s not going to ever be a guy who has an elite arm, and that’s okay as he’s worked hard to improve his accuracy with the arm, and in left field, that could still allow him to be an elite defender.