Sammy Taylor

Who is Sammy Taylor?

Samuel Douglas "Sammy" Taylor is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played from 1958 to 1963 for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.

Signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1956, Taylor was traded with Taylor Phillips to the Cubs for Eddie Haas, Don Kaiser and Bob Rush on December 5, 1957. He made his big league debut on April 20, 1958 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Appearing as a pinch hitter for Gene Fodge, he drew a walk in his first plate appearance. Overall, Taylor appeared in 96 games in 1958, hitting .259 with 78 hits, six home runs and 36 RBI.

In 110 games in 1959, Taylor hit .269 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 110 games. His 13 intentional walks were the fourth most that season. Taylor was involved in a rather peculiar situation in a game on June 30 of that year, between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. Stan Musial was at the plate, with a count of 3–1. Pitcher Bob Anderson's next pitch was errant, evading Taylor and rolling all the way to the backstop. Umpire Vic Delmore called ball four, however Anderson and Taylor contended that Musial foul tipped the ball.