Copper Hills High product Brayden Taylor didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called in Major League Baseball’s draft.
Taylor, an infielder who helped TCU reach the College World Series this year for the first time since 2017, was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 19th pick of the first round Sunday.
The West Jordan native had a .308 batting average last season, hit 23 home runs and drove in 70 runs. He was a first-team All-Big 12 selection last year and the MVP of the conference tournament.
Taylor lettered all four years at Copper Hills and put up a career .461 batting average. He was a first-team All-State selection as a sophomore and junior.
Taylor was not the only Utahn taken on the first two days of the MLB draft.
BYU infielder Austin Deming was selected by the Houston Astros in the 10th round.
A Snow Canyon product, Deming was named Utah’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018. He hit .418 with 19 homers last season for the Cougars.
