Top pick Taylor 'super excited' to get to work

ST. PETERSBURG -- Brayden Taylor walked around Tropicana Field on Friday afternoon, accompanied by his parents and Rays officials, then made his way down to the field for the first time. He spoke with the media, took pictures, met manager Kevin Cash and GM Peter Bendix and prepared for the start of his professional baseball career.

The 21-year-old infielder took it all in while clad in something he hopes to wear again here someday: a navy Rays jersey, No. 19, with his last name on the back.

“It’s awesome,” Taylor said. “I mean, I love this jersey. It fits nice.”

• Here's which Draft picks the Rays have signed

The Rays believe Taylor is a great fit for them, too, which led them to officially sign their first-round pick in the MLB Draft on Friday. Taylor, the No. 19 overall pick, received a full-slot signing bonus of $3,880,100, according to MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis.

“Super excited. Super glad to be out here and experience the Trop for the first time,” Taylor said. “Just looking forward to getting to work.”

The Rays officially announced the signings of 18 of their 21 selections from this year’s Draft, with Tuesday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline drawing near. Scouting director Chuck Ricci said they were “still working on a couple” of deals, hoping to finalize more in the coming days.

On Friday, Tampa Bay confirmed deals with all of the club’s picks except eighth-rounder Drew Dowd (who has reportedly agreed to sign), 19th-rounder Owen Stevenson and 20th-round pick Max Stanley. That group includes third-round LSU first baseman Tre’ Morgan, who signed his contract Friday morning.

It has been a whirlwind few weeks for Taylor, one of a few prospects who attended the Draft in person in Seattle on July 9. As special as that experience was, he wound up even more blown away by the dream he got to live out the following day.

Taylor, along with fellow Rays pick Colton Ledbetter, got to stick around in Seattle and walk around during All-Star Game media day, leaving him in awe of the Major Leaguers he’d like to join in the future.

“I was star-struck on media day, because I was looking at these guys, I’m like, ‘I grew up watching these guys play.’ But then when they came up and talked to me, I was like, ‘Oh, they’re just normal dudes,’” Taylor said. “It’s cool. I’m in kind of the same position. Like, I’m working to get where they are, so it’s cool to personalize them and see that aspect.”

That didn’t make it any less jaw-dropping when he said he was admittedly “staring” at Derek Jeter on the FOX Sports set when someone tapped him on the shoulder. It was Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.

“It was super cool,” Taylor said.

Friday was comparatively normal. He went through medical evaluations in the morning, reported to Tropicana Field to officially sign his contract, then stuck around to enjoy the evening as the Rays hosted the Orioles.

Next up is a trip on Saturday to Sarasota, Fla., where the Rays’ Rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate is based this year, to get acclimated and eventually begin his career. He’ll look to build on what he did this spring for Texas Christian University, slashing .308/.430/.631 with 23 homers, 15 doubles, 70 RBIs, 77 runs and 14 steals in 58 games during his junior season.

“We’re excited,” Ricci said. “I think he’s a really well-rounded player. … He’s a hitter first, with power. As he’s grown into his body physically, the power really came out this year, but I think he’s a hitter with hitter DNA, and that’s the best attribute to have.”

Taylor spent most of this spring playing third base for TCU, but he was drafted as a shortstop and should begin his career at that position, which he played last fall. Of course, one reason Ricci previously described Taylor as “very much a Rays player” is his defensive versatility, so he could also spend time at second and third base.

“That's just something that I pride myself on, is being versatile, being able to move my feet in each and every direction on the infield,” he said. “So wherever they put me, I'm going to go out there and make the most of it.

“I want to be here, so let's get to work.”