06/17/2014 - USA Baseball 17U Championships
Taylor showed at 1B plus on the mound but currently projects best at 1B for the next level. Defensive abilities are outstanding as he displays clean / athletic actions. Footwork around the bag is a plus and he moves well laterally, displaying range. Hands are soft / sure as he consistently showed the abilities to pick balls out of the dirt, saving throws. Throws are accurate as he gets rid of the baseball quickly. At the plate, he shows a squared / balanced setup. Hands are strong and quick, working through a level swing path. He has strength in his swing with baseball jumping off the bat when centered, mainly to the pull side. Hitting grades will continue to improve as he works to keep hands inside the ball, utilizing all fields and develop a better 2 strike approach. On the mound, fastball showed life with arm side run. Breaking ball displays 2/8 shape with gradual break. He competes on the mound and has good mound presence. Stock on the mound will continue to improve as he builds more arm strength and works to throw more strikes. Mental makeup is a plus as he is a great kid, very coachable, and works hard to be the best player he can be.
01/17/2014 - Under Armour Pre-Season All-America Tournament
Taylor showed only at 1B at the event and continues to show solid play in his baseball abilities. At 1B, he displays proper footwork around the bag and is a quality receiver. Hands are soft / clean with defensive grade improving as he present hands more out front. Game awareness is a plus as he displays good instincts and is always where he is supposed to be. At the plate, he shows an open / athletic setup with balance. He attacks the baseball with his hands and works to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields. Hitting grades will continue to improve as he gets his stride foot down sooner to work on time and becomes more aggressive.
08/04/2013 - College PREP - Glendora, CA
Taylor continues to progress in his game. The tall 1B displays that he can swing the stick, being short and direct to the ball. He gets good extension through contact and drives the ball to all fields. At 1B, he shows good bag awareness and plus lateral movements. He is aggressive and comes to get the ball. Highfill is a hard worker and with his drive and coachability, he will have success in the future.
07/29/2013 - Under Armour Southwest Championships, powered by Baseball Factory's Team One
Taylor continues to show as a 1B/LHP but currently he projects best at 1B for the next level. At the plate, is where he shows best through an athletic setup with rhythm. Hands are quick, generating bat speed through a level swing path, creating extension. He works to stay inside the ball, utilizing all fields. Barrel accuracy is a plus with baseball jumping off the bat when centered. At 1B, feet are active as he displays proper footwork around the bag and is a quality receiver, showing clean hands. He works to square balls up and displays clean hands. For defensive grade to continue to improve, he needs to attack ground balls and play through while presenting hands more out front. Throws are accurate, flashing carry but will benefit by building more arm strength. On the mound, fastball showed a range of 71-75 mph with slight arm side run. Breaking ball displays 2/8 shape with gradual break. Stock on the mound will continue to rise as more arm strength is gained through a long toss program. Mental makeup is a plus as he is a hard worker and is very coachable.
06/05/2013 - Under Armour Southeast Championships, powered by Baseball Factory's Team One
Taylor is a talented young player with a developing skill set and a passion to play. Defensively, Taylor has some raw ability, uses his hands well and makes adjustments quickly. He uses his feet pretty well around the bag at first and should continue to work on his glove drills, footwork to throw and fielding position to further develop. As an OF, Taylor showed the ability to read the ball well off the bat and possesses solid closing speed on the ball. He communicates well and will benefit from quickening his release, using a consistent power step and playing behind the ball to create momentum to his target. On the mound, Taylor competes with 3 pitches which he can throw for strikes. He will benefit from developing his 2 seam and 4 seam fastballs which he should throw to both sides of the plate to maximize the effectiveness of his off speed stuff. Taylor has the potential to be a crafty lefty whom can pitch to both sides of the plate while changing speeds and pitching to contact. He made huge improvements to his game in just a short week and has more than enough ability to support the adjustments he needs to make to further improve. At the plate, Taylor is very raw, makes adjustments quickly and showed pretty good barrel accuracy. He is patient at the plate, can use the whole field and should continue to work on shortening his stride length to minimize eye movement, ultimately improving ability to track pitches. He had some quality at bats in the tourney and was a real team player whom was willing and ready to move runners or whatever was asked of him. Overall, Taylor is a good young player with a lot of raw ability which means he will have to continue his hard work to further develop his tools. Playing baseball at the college level should remain Taylor's goal, He is the kind of young man and teammate that many programs are looking for year to year.
To view Taylor's personal baseball page, click on the following link:
http://highfillbaseball.com/