Memories of Tyrone Taylor

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

He struck me as a great teammate. Like his spirit was big part of who he was especially in 24.

Good Met who looked like he should be released at times

[Edgy MD]

Gave a full-range of outcomes. 

• Good enough for an MLB reserve outfielder on a winning team in 2024.  
• Not good enough for an MLB reserve outfielder on a winning team in 2025.
• Really good for an MLB reserve outfielder on a winning team in 2026.

That last one kind of guaranteed he was going to be traded to a winning team.  It was, like, The Three Faces of Tommy Pham, except he wasn't Tommy Pham.  The most indelible memory is that he slammed a homer in what should have been his last game*, and the blast went so far that it felt like he was going to be traded before the ball landed, or at least before he crossed home plate.

A solid pro.  Brought a positive but professional demeanor to the park whether he was going good or going poorly.  I'm not an Instagram user, but his is all full of shots of him interacting with his daughter and it's adorbs.

Part of a rapidly diminishing club of Mets veterans of the 2024 post-season.  Probably saw more time in that run than was good for the team, but his strong September helped get them there.

* He pinch ran in the ninth inning last night, in a situation that was so non-competitive that I'm not sure the booth noted his appearance.

[metirish]

Good memories of Tyrone , really seemed to love playing for the Mets , always seemed happy 

[The Hot Corner]

Was a good fourth outfielder/bench guy.  Good defender capable of manning any of the OF positions.  Pretty good speed.  Both are good to have for late inning substitutions, particularly for a team starting Soto.   The problem for the Mets was that he too often was forced to assume a more expanded, regular role with the Mets.

Seemed like a good guy.

[Edgy MD]

[Gwreck]

1. 11 pitch at bat resulting in a leadoff double in the top of the 8th to start the rally in the legendary game 161 in Atlanta in 2024.

2. Massive home run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game against the Yankees this year.

Struggled (badly) at times but was overall a great fourth outfielder.  Agree; seemed like a great teammate and all-around good guy.  He’ll be missed.  

[Edgy MD]

1 hour ago, Gwreck said:

1. 11 pitch at bat resulting in a leadoff double in the top of the 8th to start the rally in the legendary game 161 in Atlanta in 2024.

2. Massive home run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game against the Yankees this year.

Glorious.  Concrete and specific memories are the best memories.

Why nobody had mentioned The Tyrone Taylor Game until you did is embarrassing.  It really shows why we are a fifth-place forum.  Thanks for picking us up.

Also, Lourdes Gurriel's worst nightmare:

 

[Edgy MD]

And as demonstrated by that catch, he was — and will presumably be into perpetuity — the last Met to take the field in #15.

[Cowtipper]

Always gave off the douchebag vibe, but you can't judge a book by its cover because he really wasn't a douchebag. 

His 2024 was awesome. He wasn't great, but he was steady-Eddie and always reliable. One of those unsung heroes of that 2024 campaign. 

By 2025, I was over him and wanted him gone. 

And for most of 2026, I felt that way, too. But then he redeemed himself with a memorable walk-off in May, which I remember watching, and an astounding run toward the end of his tenure. He finished his 2026 with the Mets with a slugging mark over .500. Whodathunk that would happen. From July 4, onward, he hit .341/.438/.951 with 7 home runs, 14 RBI and 13 runs scored in 41 at-bats. Half of his hits went out of the park, and another four were doubles. Shades of Glenallen Hill or Matt Carpenter (if anyone remembers those). 

He was solid overall. 

[Centerfield]

Had a big hit in a comeback win in Philly.  I wish I could remember which game it was. 

 

That AB in game 161 changed Met history.

[Cowtipper]

I knew he did something momentous in 2024, but couldn't remember what it was. I still don't remember what it was, but that above post makes me vaguely recall it even more. 

[Benjamin Grimm]

[Edgy MD]

Fate: You've had a nice run, but this is the 2024 Dodgers, and the dream is coming to a conclusion.  You'd do well to accept that.

Tyrone Taylor: No.

 

[MFS62]

He was always ready to play and gave his all when he did.

And that's about all you could ask from a reserve. Seemed like a good guy.

Later

[Gwreck]

Mets home runs that were so big that they got the Gary Cohen double-call (“It’s outta here!  Outta here!”):

1. Edgardo Alfonzo Grand Slam, 1999 NLDS Game 1

2. Todd Pratt, walk-off, 1999 NLDS Game 4

3. Robin Ventura, walk-off grand slam, 1999 NLCS Game 5

4. Mike Piazza, 10-run inning vs. Braves, June 2000

5. Benny Agbayani, walk-off, 2000 NLDS Game 3

6. Carlos Beltran, walk-off vs. Cardinals, August 2006

7. Carlos Beltran, 13th inning walk off vs. Arizona, June 2008

8. Asdrubal Cabrera, 12th inning walk-off vs. Philadelphia, September 2016

9. Wilmer Flores, walk-off vs Oakland, June 2017

10. Todd Frazier, game-tying 3-run homer in bottom of 9th vs Washington, August 2019

11. Pete Alonso, sets all-time Mets homer record, August 2025

12. Tyrone Taylor, 3-run game-tying homer in bottom of 9th vs Yankees, May 2026