“Brien Taylor, still to this day, is the best high school pitcher I’ve seen in my life.” – Super MLB agent Scott Boras in 2006
Taylor was also the best high school pitcher the Yankees had ever seen, as they drafted him first overall in 1991. That came after he touched 99 miles per hour on the radar gun while striking out 213 batters in 88 innings in high school. Taylor became just the second high schooler to be drafted first overall, and his pro career started out in the minors where he posted a 3.02 over two seasons.
Then, he suffered a bizarre injury during a fistfight, which led to surgery and Taylor missing the entire 1994 season. He wasn’t close to the same pitcher when he returned, as he posted an unsightly 11.24 ERA over parts of five seasons in the minors afterward. The best high school pitcher many had ever seen never even threw a single inning in the majors.
