KANSAS CITY -- Seconds before lefty Daniel Lynch delivered a fastball in the third inning of Tuesday’s 3-1 win over the Astros, Royals manager Mike Matheny glanced toward the outfield to see where center fielder Michael A. Taylor was positioned.

With runners on second and third base and Carlos Correa at the plate, Taylor wasn’t playing a shallow center field.

“I was thinking, ‘We’re going to have a hard time throwing anybody out,’” Matheny said.

Correa got the base hit he wanted to shallow center field, but with two outs, the runners were aggressive. And Taylor played the ball perfectly, charging in and making a one-hop missile to nab Martin Maldonado at the plate for the third out of the frame. Maldonado isn’t a fast runner, but with how deep Taylor was at the beginning of the play, his eighth outfield assist of the season -- most in the Majors among center fielders -- stood out.

“How he charged that ball and was able to throw with that kind of velocity and accuracy -- that’s unique,” Matheny said.

Taylor explained prior to Wednesday's game that he was aware of who the runners were and that he wasn’t surprised Maldonado was aggressive with two outs. Taylor tried to cover as much ground as possible charging in and to the right of the ball to make a smooth transfer before the throw.

The throw was tracked at 96 mph, his third 96 mph or higher throw this season. His average max-effort arm strength (top 10 percent of his throws) is 92.8 mph, third in the Majors behind Hunter Renfroe (94.8) and Joey Gallo (94), minimum 20 max-effort throws.

“Throwing to the bases is something I’ve always taken pride in, and taking care of my arm is something that’s important to me,” Taylor said. “This year, knowing I was going to have an opportunity to play a little more than normal, I focused on a good throwing program and long tossing, and arm care. That way, I’m able to make as many throws as possible.”

And he is making a ton of throws -- while getting people out. Taylor had no outfield assists last season, albeit with limited playing time in an already pandemic-shortened season. He had two in 2019 playing for the World Series champion Nationals.

Now the everyday center fielder for the Royals, teams in the American League are learning to not run on Taylor.

“In the National League, I had a lot more opportunities early on, and then teams became less aggressive,” Taylor said. “And then coming over the new league, there have been some opportunities that I was surprised I had. I think if you’re consistently throwing people out at a high rate every year, that’s not normally a good thing, because there’s a reason people are running on you. Being in a new league takes time for players to adjust and for me to adjust also.”

The Royals covet outfield defense and especially in Kauffman Stadium’s expansive center field. Taylor was the perfect fit this offseason defensively, and they hoped his bat would provide enough to keep him in center field every day. While he’s had his struggles at the plate, Taylor hit .317 (13-for-41) with four extra-base hits in his previous 11 games entering Wednesday.

Taylor's 17 defensive runs saved are second most among all outfielders, trailing only Adam Duvall (19). And as the season surpasses the three-quarter mark, he’s put his name in AL Gold Glove Award contention.

“I definitely looked at is as a challenge,” Taylor said of playing in The K's spacious center field. “And a great opportunity to come to a team that values defense, especially in that position and [having] the opportunity to go out there and prove that I can play defense here. It’s definitely a challenge. It’s one of the bigger yards, and it takes a toll on your body to adjust in ways. But it was something I was looking forward to.”

Matheny stumped for Taylor in the Gold Glove Award conversation on Tuesday, as well as other Royals up the middle: All-Star catcher Salvador Perez, second baseman Whit Merrifield and shortstop Nicky Lopez. Taylor has twice been a finalist, but he hasn’t won -- yet.

“It’s an honor to be mentioned in those awards and to know your manager thinks that about you,” Taylor said. “… I’ve been a finalist twice, so now I think I’m ready to win one."

Royals announce spring schedule

Kansas City announced its 2022 Spring Training schedule on Wednesday, with its first Cactus League game slated for Feb. 26 against the Rangers at Surprise Stadium. The final Cactus League game in Arizona will be on March 26 against Texas, and the Royals will travel to Milwaukee to play two exhibition games against the Brewers on March 28-29. Two days later, the Royals open the regular season in Cleveland.