White Sox are following a recent MLB blueprint to make top prospect an elite closer

The Chicago White Sox are calling up 23-year-old pitching prospect Grant Taylor to make his Major League debut this week just one month after moving him to the bullpen with Double-A Birmingham.

Taylor was off to a great start with a 1.56 ERA in six starts to open the season before the White Sox made the controversial move. On the surface, it's a questionable call to take a dominant pitching prospect who is working as a starting pitcher and limit his value by moving him to the bullpen.

I've been under the assumption that Taylor's move to the bullpen would be temporary and he would have the ability to stretch out into a starter in the future after he tests his stuff against Major League hitters. The White Sox are on the record about that being their intention. But after seeing what Taylor has done since being moved to the bullpen, it's possible that the White Sox will want him to stay in the bullpen with the ability to become an elite MLB closer.

Taylor's upside as a closer

White Sox director of pitching Brian Bannister said in a recent interview with 670 The Score that the decision to move Taylor to the bullpen was based on his pitch metrics and mechanics, which could lead to serious injuries if he remains a starter.

Taylor releases the ball 7.5 feet in front of the rubber, which is on the same level as players like Kenley Jansen, Tyler Glasnow, and Mariano Rivera. It takes exceptional flexibility, but usually leads to injuries for pitchers who try to throw that way as a starter (i.e. Glasnow).

"You've seen the guys that have pitched in a starting role with those types of features and they tend to be very injury prone. We've already gone through that with Grant [Taylor] a little bit," said Bannister in his interview with Spiegel & Holmes on 670 The Score. "So in the short term, we're looking out for his health, for how we can get him to the big leagues and contributing in the best way possible, but not pigeonholing him in a relief role. But also acknowledging that when you compare his pitch metrics, what he can do as a a pitcher, it compares with some of the best closers in the world. Short term, he definitely has that kind of upside."

Bannister would reiterate that the White Sox are open to Taylor being a starting pitcher in the future. But for now, the organization are eager to protect his arm and see what he can bring in a big league bullpen.

“He’s electric. I’ve seen him up close a couple times. It’s one of the best arms I’ve ever seen. I don’t say that lightly, because I’ve been around a lot of good arms," Bannister said.

Chicago is following the blueprint laid out by the Athletics, who did something very similar with All-Star closer Mason Miller.

Grant Taylor compared to Mason Miller

Mason Miller was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut for the A's as a 24-year-old during the 2023 season.

Just like Taylor, Miller only played one year of Division-I baseball and started his professional career in a starting role. Miller made 15 minor league starts with a 2.52 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 39.1 innings before getting called up in April of 2023.

Both pitchers lean on a fastball as their best offering and touch over 100 mph on a radar gun with an arsenal that generates swing-and-misses.

Miller made four Major League starts to begin his big league career before being sent back to the minor leagues. The next time he got the call, it was in a relief role for the A's. Miller then broke camp with the team in 2024 as the closer and recorded 28 saves with a 2.49 ERA and 14.4 K/9. He was selected to the American League All-Star roster and was immediately considered one of the best high-leverage relief pitchers in the sport.

I think Taylor could be on a similar path. If the White Sox use him out of the bullpen for the rest of 2025 and he has success in late-inning opportunities, he'll likely be Chicago's closer to open 2026 as a 24-year-old flamethrower. As Bannister said, he has the capacity to be one of the best closers in the world.

Most good teams in today's MLB have a lockdown closer that takes the ball in the 9th inning. Emmanuel Clase, Edwin Diaz, and Josh Hader are all pitching in the postseason every year.

Given the current youth movement on the South Side of Chicago, if the White Sox hope to be competitive by 2027, they will need to find their guy. That very well could be Grant Taylor. Don't be surprised if he electrifies the baseball world and is quickly in conversations to be an All-Star, just like Mason Miller.