Paul Skenes has a long shadow. Andy Pages’ new batting practice routine revolves around Skenes. He was the first pick in the 2023 MLB draft. He’s already won the NL Cy Young award. Skenes has had two full seasons with ERAs under 2.00.
The point is: it’s easy to discuss Paul Skenes. Grant Taylor pitched alongside Skenes at LSU but didn’t get off to the same professional start as his former teammate. His 2025 ERA, 4.91, made observers look the other way.
But it’s now time to talk seriously about Grant Taylor.
The 2025 Number That Was Never Real
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The White Sox envision Grant Taylor as a front-line starter but have used him in relief since last season. That 4.91 ERA — it was a farce. His FIP last year was a tiny 1.42 along with an xERA of 2.91. In 36.2 IP last season, he did not allow a single HR, something no White Sox rookie pitcher has done since 1967. His strikeout rate was 34.4 percent. His Game Leverage Index of 1.68 put him in the range of Mason Miller and Cade Smith.
His 2026 is just as good. Taylor owns an 89.3 mph average exit velocity allowed. A 7.9 barrel rate against. An xwOBA of .242 against. A walk rate so good (0.6 BB/9 at the time of writing, best among qualified relievers) that it reads like a typo. The White Sox are building a bridge to starting in 2027. But the metrics make us wonder if Taylor should stay on this side of the river.
Oh, we didn’t mention: Grant Taylor also throws 102 mph. That detail was not doing his rookie ERA any favors either, because the sample was small enough that every cluster of bad luck landed on top of each other. Ten runs in 3.2 innings from August 17 to 29 turned a 3.75 ERA into a 6.51 ERA in five appearances. He then threw 10 straight scoreless frames to close the year. The 4.91 ERA is what happened. The 1.42 FIP is who he is.
The 2026 Correction, and the Inconvenient Argument It Creates
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Taylor is issuing fewer bases on balls per nine innings than almost any high-leverage arm in baseball. For context: the typical power reliever sitting 99 mph with a breaking ball runs a walk rate between 2.0 and 3.5 BB/9. Taylor is doing something that power arms almost never do. He is throwing hard and throwing strikes at an elite rate simultaneously.
Now here is the inconvenient argument the White Sox front office has to sit with. Max-effort short stints are specifically where Taylor's profile shines. The fastball lives at 99-plus in one-to-two-inning bursts. The walk rate at 0.6 BB/9 is plausibly easier to sustain over 20 pitches than over 100. The third-time-through-the-order problem, which is the single biggest structural tax on starting pitching, does not exist for Taylor in his current role because he faces each hitter once and exits.
But the White Sox see Skenes as proof that elite stuff and control can work in a top-line starter. He threw 170-plus innings last year. His walk rate as a starter is excellent. He did not sacrifice the power arm by starting. There is no reason to assume Taylor would either.
Both things can be true. Skenes scaled. Taylor's profile, specifically the combination of 99-plus velocity and sub-1.00 walk rate, may be more fragile under starter volume than Skenes's was. The evidence from comparable power arms suggests that walk rates tend to creep when workloads increase and release points are asked to repeat over 100 pitches. And, let’s face it, Taylor is producing elite underlying results.
The Fantasy Case, the Role Complication, and the Health Flag You Cannot Ignore
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The White Sox have given him save opportunities and he has converted them. Director of pitching Brian Bannister said Taylor will continue to be stretched out. The saves are already on his ledger. The closer path is not closed. If the White Sox consolidate him as their primary high-leverage arm with consistent ninth-inning opportunities, the fantasy calculus changes substantially and quickly.
This much we know: Taylor will not be used as a starter in 2026, but will instead work out of the bullpen with a target of 80 to 100 IP. He has “started” four games this season as an opener, but he has since settled in nicely in the back of the pen.
Taylor’s health history should be noted. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, suffered a lat strain a year later and had a groin issue late last season. His injury history is a legitimate reason the Closer Confidential tier for the White Sox is not higher than it is.
The White Sox are building what they believe is a bridge to starting in 2027. The underlying metrics say the bridge is already carrying elite traffic. Hold Taylor for what he is right now. Watch the role evolve. Either way you’ll be witnessing one of the game’s elite arms that has, until now, been obscured by injury and fluky results. We have argued for Taylor to get all of the save chances on the South Side and we are about to extend that argument into 2027 for sure.
For ongoing updates on Taylor's role, health status, and save opportunities, see Athlon's weekly Closer Confidential.
Questions About Grant Taylor, Answered
Is Grant Taylor a good fantasy baseball add in 2026?
Yes, with format caveats. His underlying metrics are elite — a .242 xwOBA against, 0.6 BB/9, and a barrel rate under 8 percent — but his opener role limits wins and saves in standard roto. In points leagues and deep formats he is a high-priority add. In 12-team standard roto, he is a hold-and-monitor until save opportunities consolidate.
Why was Grant Taylor's 2025 ERA so high if his underlying numbers were good?
A .420 BABIP — the highest of any reliever with 30-plus innings — inflated his ERA well beyond what his 1.42 FIP and zero home runs allowed suggested. The 2025 ERA was historically bad luck layered onto elite underlying performance. The 2026 correction confirms the FIP was the signal.
What is Grant Taylor's connection to Paul Skenes?
Taylor and Skenes were rotation teammates at LSU before Tommy John surgery ended Taylor's junior season before it started and redirected his draft profile. Skenes went first overall. Taylor went 51st. Skenes won the NL Cy Young Award. Taylor is now posting a .242 xwOBA allowed in a bullpen role for the White Sox and asking the question of whether his ceiling belongs in the same conversation.
What role is Grant Taylor playing for the White Sox in 2026?
Primarily an opener — starting games with one to two innings before handing off to a traditional reliever, with save chances mixed in. The White Sox have stated publicly their goal is to build his innings toward 100 in 2026 before transitioning him to starting in 2027. The role is fluid and trending toward more high-leverage work.
What is Grant Taylor's injury history?
Tommy John surgery in 2023, a lat strain in 2024, and a recurring groin issue that cost him appearances in 2025.
