2014 Season Review: 3B Taylor Sparks

Taylor Sparks began the 2014 season as the reigning Co-Big West Conference Player of the Year, and a preseason All-American candidate for the UC Irvine Anteaters. He responded to the expectations by slashing a solid .308/.389/.506 during his junior campaign, which propelled him to become the 2^nd round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the June draft.

Upon signing for a cool $972,800, Sparks reported to the Billings Mustangs where he would greatly contribute to the Reds rookie-ball affiliate winning a Pioneer League championship. He first appeared in a game for Billings on July 3^rd and provided an instant spark, as he went 2-3 with a double, a stolen base, two walks and a strikeout. His first game would be an indication of things to come, as Sparks regularly showed off his power, speed, and patient hitting approach, as well as his propensity to swing and miss.

The third baseman came out of the gate red-hot, hitting .394/.512/.667 over his first 10 games. Sparks continued his torrid pace, as he homered in three of his next five games, which actually improved his slugging percentage to a video game like .725 through 15 games. Although his bat cooled down towards the end of the July, he completed his exceptional first month of professional baseball hitting .289/.421/.577, with five bombs, 10 stolen bases, and an excellent 14.9% walk rate. If there was any cause for concern in month one, it was that Sparks did strikeout 35 times in 121 plate appearances, which equaled a slightly alarming 28.9% strikeout rate.

The rookie league season did not finish nearly as smoothly as it began for Sparks. For the entire month of August and three regular season games in September, he collected only three multi-hit games compared to seven in July. Sparks struggled to hit .178 over these final 28 games with an astronomically high 41.2% strikeout rate.   He did however continue to show off the power/speed combination that made him an intriguing 2^nd round talent, as 10 of his 18 hits during this period were for extra bases, including five home runs and three triples. He also helped the Mustangs sweep through the playoffs by going 3-5 with a triple in the first game of the championship series, and caught the final out, a line out, in the second game of the series to clinch the Pioneer League championship (No word on whether or not he pulled a Doug Mientkiewicz with the ball).

Overview:

As is the case with many young players, Taylor Sparks is trying to translate his enormous potential into consistent production. As Doug’s draft day scouting report indicates, Sparks has true 5-tool potential, as his athleticism helps him to be an above-average defender at the hot corner along with the power/speed combo that he possesses on offense. Despite the ups and downs of his season, Sparks managed to OPS .840 for the season and finish tied for 8^th in the league in homers, en route to being named the Pioneer League’s 12^th best prospect by Baseball America. He will look to improve his contact rate and overall consistency in his first full season in Dayton next year.

To view more 2014 Season Review articles, click here.

Regular Season Stats