Chicago White Sox veteran outfielder Michael A. Taylor has had a long career in Major League Baseball, mostly because of his defense.
2025 is Year 12 for Taylor. He first debuted with the Washington Nationals in 2014. There has only been one season of his career that Taylor has finished with an OPS+ above 100 (league average).
Sure, he’s had some decent power years and logged 108 career home runs, but the only way a player with a .232 career batting average in .666 career OPS sticks in the Major Leagues for 12 seasons is if they are elite defensively.
Taylor was also the 2025 Heart & Hustle Award winner for the organization, which made it particularly shocking when his poor defense and lack of effort cost the Chicago White Sox a game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night.
Michael A. Taylor loses the game with poor effort
The New York Yankees had just tied the score 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning on a wild pitch. With Aaron Judge on second base and two outs, relief pitcher Steven Wilson faced Yankees utilityman Jose Caballero.
Caballero blooped a ball into centerfield, which looked like it was going to hang up for Taylor. Instead of sprinting in and making an effort to catch it, Taylor voluntarily pulled up just short and allowed the ball to drop in front of him.
Aaron Judge scored easily and the Yankees had a walk off win.
It was another ridiculously frustrating game for White Sox fans who have watched this team limp to the finish line of the 2025 season. Taylor’s lack of effort also caught the attention of baseball fans around the league.
The Yankees clinched the playoff spot with the win, but they are still vying for seeding and the AL East crown. Michael A. Taylor didn’t do the Blue Jays or Red Sox any favors, and he got ripped for it on social media.
Now, I’m no conspiracy theorist, but:
— Not Gaetti (@notgaetti) September 24, 2025
Michael A. Taylor is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, right? I’ve seen him make some ridiculous diving plays coming in on the ball.
In this situation, where letting the ball drop ends the game, how does he let this happen? https://t.co/SeBZGLTrIj
Shits gotta be the fakest walkoff I’ve ever seen… Michael A. Taylor literally waited for the ball fall in to start running ??? pic.twitter.com/b51JZoKho1
— KutterIsKing (@KutterIsKing) September 24, 2025
Michael A. Taylor is either betting on baseball, or hates his teammates.
— Drew Pellman (@Drew_Pellman) September 24, 2025
The lack of effort here with the game on the line is an embarrassment.
This kind of shit is why a lot of people remain steadfast that professional sports are rigged. https://t.co/X35Wh80z6u
I hate to overreact to one play, but a moment like this shows exactly why Michael A. Taylor has no place on the White Sox roster or in Major league baseball next season.
Chicago needs to be setting a good example for their young players on a daily basis. They need veterans who leave at all on the field and want to win, even if the team is 40 games under .500.
The lack of effort that Taylor showed on Sunday is simply inexcusable. It's exactly what the White Sox looked like in 2022 in 2023, when a contending team underachieved and the contention window was slammed shut.
Most centerfielders in baseball make that catch if they are giving the game 100 percent effort. I have no patience for anything less than that. So to me, the social media criticism is completely fair.