Baseball: Cox senior drawing lofty comparisons

Comparing a high school baseball player to a major leaguer brings lots of potential risks, from giving the player a big head to having him crumble under the expectations.

But Cox coach Bill Conroy doesn’t hold back when talking about Chris Taylor.

Conroy knows the Falcons won the Beach District regular-season title and are contenders in this week’s Eastern Region tournament in large part because of his standout senior shortstop.

“He kind of reminds me of a Ryan Zimmerman,” Conroy said. “Really good high school baseball player who went on to U.Va., put on 10-15 pounds, and now he’s making a lot of money in the major leagues.”

That’s a lofty comparison, considering Zimmerman, the Washington Nationals’ third baseman, is one of baseball’s top young stars.

But it’s also not unjustified. Taylor earned all-Beach District honors last season as a junior, when he hit .430. Zimmerman, a 2002 Kellam graduate, earned all-Beach District honors as a junior, when he played shortstop for the Knights.

Taylor has improved his play as a senior, winning Beach Player of the Year honors while hitting a team-high .452 in the regular season. Zimmerman also raised his game as a senior, earning all-Tidewater honors and a ticket to the University of Virginia – where Taylor will play next season.

And, Conroy said, they both play with maximum effort, as if they were fighting for a roster spot.

“They’re both similar in the way they work, the way they carry themselves,” Conroy said. “Their games – you never really see them get flustered.”

Taylor isn’t letting such praise go to his head. As 1 of 3 team captains, he serves as a teacher for younger players during practice. He also leads by example, regularly taking extra swings in the batting cage after practice.

Knowing he’d be hitting leadoff this season, Taylor focused on offseason drills designed to improve his speed. That kind of dedication has paid off: Taylor had a team-high 19 stolen bases in the regular season, and also led the Falcons in runs (30), doubles (6), triples (4) and total bases (64).

“He works harder than anyone else,” said Kyle Profilet, who along with Taylor and Austin Erb serve as team captains.

Taylor realizes he won’t approach Zimmerman’s level unless he continues to get better. Ask him what he needs to work on and he doesn’t hesitate.

“The power will come as I get bigger and stronger,” he said. “But I’d like to get more consistent throughout the year. This year I got off to a slow start.”

Taylor did go 2 for 11 in Cox’s first four games. But the fact that he says he started slowly is more an indicator of his own high expectations for himself than reality. His on-base percentage in those first four games was .500, and he scored seven runs.

“I think you have to be hard on yourself if you want to keep getting better,” he said.

Conroy knows Taylor must keep improving if he wants to make his mark in college and the pros. He said Taylor needs to add muscle – he’s currently 6 feet, 165 pounds, about 2 inches and 15 pounds less than what Zimmerman was in high school and about 65 pounds less than Zimmerman weighs now.

But Conroy, who has coached Cox since Zimmerman’s days at Kellam, also says repeatedly that Taylor has improved more than any player he’s had. Asked what Taylor needs to work on, he pauses for a few seconds, as if stumped, before answering.

“I’m sure he’s going to get better,” Conroy said. “He’s going to keep working hard. U.Va. is going to have some of the best players in the country, and he’s going to have to get better to play there. I feel like if he gets bigger and stronger, puts on 10 pounds, you’re going to see him at the next level.”