Jack Taylor

Who was Jack Taylor?

John Besson "Brewery Jack" Taylor was a baseball player in the National League from 1891 to 1899. He is often confused with John W. "Jack" Taylor, who also played in the NL during an overlapping period. His real name has also been erroneously published as John Budd Taylor in many sources, perhaps confused with the Minor League pitcher Jack "Bud" Taylor of similar period. John Besson Taylor was born in Sandy Hill, Maryland and moved to Staten Island, New York as a young child, where he played with future Major League contemporaries Jack Cronin, Jack Sharrott, George Sharrott, and Tuck Turner.

"Brewery Jack" was a right-handed pitcher with a career record and 120 wins and 117 losses. His nine-season career consisted of one game for the 1891 New York Giants, six seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, one with the St. Louis Browns, and a final one with the Cincinnati Reds. While an ace pitcher, Taylor was known for arguing with umpire calls and for his propensity for drinking. Taylor was still considered active in the National League during planning for the 1900 season, but died of Bright's disease in February of that year.