Tyrone Taylor has given Cubs' Craig Counsell another secret weapon since the deadline

Remember in the early-going this season when Michael Conforto seemed to deliver on a nightly basis, establishing himself as a key cog in the Chicago Cubs machine? Though he's since cooled a bit, he still has an OPS north of .800 on the season, and his teammate Tyrone Taylor seems to be following his lead and taking things to a new level after a change of scenery.

Taylor, acquired in the trade deadline deal that brought Clay Holmes to Chicago, hasn't garnered much excitement until his first-inning home run that got the Cubs' offensive barrage rolling Monday night, but it's time we step back and appreciate what he's done since joining the team.

Brought in to add insurance in the outfield against left-handed pitching, Taylor got his chance in the opener after Counsell penciled him into the cleanup spot against Milwaukee left-hander Kyle Harrison. He rewarded his manager with a 4-for-6 night that included three RBI - including that two-run shot to jump-start the offense.

In 50 plate appearances with the Cubs, Taylor is up to a .409/.460/.545 slash line, including a 1.078 OPS against lefties. As was (and, often, still is) the case with Conforto, Counsell has excelled at putting his guys in position to succeed all season long and it's been a real difference-maker. Sure, the outfield picture is pretty crowded right now after the return of Matt Shaw, but that's a nice problem to have in the home stretch of the regular season.

When and where will we see Tyrone Taylor with the Cubs down the stretch?

I expect most of Taylor's playing time will be in instances like we saw Monday: there's a left-hander on the mound and he gets the start over Ian Happ in left field. Happ has been dreadful against southpaws this season (.522 OPS), despite being a switch-hitter, and removing him from the equation in those spots is a must.

Meanwhile, we'll see Shaw in that utility role, getting time in right field and on the infield (he was at second on Monday). Conforto is going to be primarily a right field and DH option and, well, we all know about the bad man who calls center field home in likely National League MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong.

It'll take everybody chipping in in their own way if the Cubs have any chance of making things interesting in the NL Central race. For his part, Taylor has certainly found his role and has filled it admirably, doing exactly what Jed Hoyer hoped he would when he brought him over from the Mets last month.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow