Former GC baseball player Josh Taylor, who spent three seasons as a Boston Red Sock, was recently traded to the Kansas City Royals.

Taylor graduated from GC in 2014 with hopes of being drafted later that summer in the MLB Draft.

Taylor would sign with the Philadelphia Phillies  as an undrafted free agent in August 2014.

After a full year, the Phillies would trade Taylor, along with a teammate, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for bonus slot money.

Taylor would spend three years with the Diamondbacks, where he would see no playing time for the team.

In March 2018, he would get traded to the Boston Red Sox for Deven Marrero.

The Red Sox saw something in Taylor that other organizations did not, and in 2019, he would make his MLB debut as a 26-year-old.

“Stay humble and always remember where you came from,” Taylor said.

In 2019, Taylor appeared in 52 games, compiling a 2-2 record with an ERA of 3.04 and 62 strikeouts.

The debut season could have gone better, but the Red Sox found themselves missing the postseason by only a couple of games, going 84-78.

In 2020, Taylor appeared in only eight games, all as a relief pitcher, compiling a 1-1 record with an ERA of 9.82 and seven strikeouts.

The 2020 season was rough for the Red Sox and Taylor, where they found themselves at the bottom of their division, going 24-36. 

The decline in play was due to the shortened season because of COVID along with Taylor battling through injury.

“It’s not something we’re really trying to rush right now,” Taylor said. “In 2020, I kind of rushed back, and it didn’t kind of go well for the rest of the season. So, I think right now, we’re just making sure we’re taking all the right steps to make sure I come back, and I’m able to finish out the whole season.”

In 2021, Taylor and the Red Sox found themselves in a bounce-back year where they managed to make the postseason.

Taylor pitched in six of the 2021 postseason games, allowing four hits and striking two people out.

The 2021 season is the season Taylor needed to increase his value pitching in a career-high 67 games and striking out 62 batters with an ERA of 3.40.

This level of play turned some heads in the MLB, causing the Kansas City Royals to trade for Taylor just over a month ago, in January 2023.

“He’s an incredibly talented player,” said Kansas City Royals General Manager J.J. Picollo. “The injuries have impacted his performance.What I’ve shared with Boston, and I’ll share with you: He can take off there. He’s going to get a great opportunity. It would not surprise me one bit — with the change of scenery, his talent, we know his knee is healthy — if he has a great year. And that’s how the game goes. There’s risk on both ends.”

The 29-year-old pitcher looks to continue to make GC proud as he suits up this next season and as he hopes to have a long, successful career in the MLB.