NEW YORK -- Even with the Nationals' logjam of outfielders, manager Dave Martinez has been consistent in giving Michael A. Taylor regular playing time, despite his struggles at the plate, because of how good he is defensively in center field.
Taylor's stellar grab to end the fourth inning in Tuesday night's 3-0 loss to the Yanks at Yankee Stadium was evidence of that. Taylor chased down a fly ball from Neil Walker to the warning track in right-center and made a sliding catch up against the wall, robbing Walker of extra bases and preventing a run from scoring.
Taylor ran 87 feet in 4.9 seconds for a three-star catch, according to Statcast™. It was the kind of run-saving play the Nationals have come to expect from Taylor.
"I want Michael out there as much as possible," Martinez said prior to the game. "To me, he's a Gold Glover and he's actually playing really well. That being said, we have some pretty special outfielders all the way around and they're all going to get a chance to play."