Tayler Scott has some helpful advice for young South African baseball hopefuls who have their hearts set on Major League careers.
United States of America (25 January 2024) – Tayler Scott is a talented baseball star who started with his roots in South Africa, now they have taken root on the baseball mounds of America. While he may be living his dream in the USA, Tayler is still a South African at heart!
While Tayler lives and plays in the States, he sometimes spends his offseason living at home in South Africa. The family relocated Tayler so he could follow his dream of playing professional baseball. He confirmed that they sacrificed a lot for his dream, and he will always honour that.
We got the opportunity to speak with Tayler in an exclusive interview and learned all about his blooming career. Not only does he share how it’s going, but also where he started and advice for all the South African baseball enthusiasts who have their hearts set on the minor and major leagues.
We learned that Tayler got his start in baseball after leaving soccer practice.
“When I was 10 years old, my father and I just came across Baseball by chance. I had just finished soccer practice and as we were leaving we noticed a group of kids practicing baseball on one of the cricket fields. I had always loved playing any sport with a ball so we decided to stop by and see what they were doing. After that, I joined the team and fell in love with baseball.”
His love for the sport sent him over to America, where it is played at all ages and the professional leagues are the best in the world. He went to high school to play the sport and quickly found his professional footing.
Tayler was drafted straight out of high school, giving him the opportunity to start at league level from a young age.
“Getting drafted out of high school was a huge accomplishment and a defining moment. Coming to America in high school to pursue baseball was a shot in the dark. We had no idea at the time if I was good enough to play in America. So getting drafted was the moment we realised that the risk and sacrifice we took to come here had payed off. It was also a special moment in breaking barriers as I was the first South African/African born player to ever be drafted. That day started the 13 year career that I have right now playing professional baseball and becoming the first South Africa to ever pitch in the Major Leagues.”
Tayler has played for 12 teams throughout his ever-growing career including one in Japan. He has had the opportunity to play for the following major league teams:
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- Chicago Cubs
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Texas Rangers
- Seattle Mariners
- Baltimore Orioles
- San Diego Padres
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Boston Red Sox
- Oakland Athletics
- Houston Astros
While his career is growing in the United States, he has big dreams for youth in South Africa who love the sport too.
“My next big dream is to do everything in my power to help my kids pursue their goals and dreams in life the way that my parents did. I would also like to start growing the game of baseball in South Africa to the point where Major League Baseball starts developing academies for kids to develop.”
On what advice Tayler has for young hopefuls who have dreams of baseball careers, he has several tips for how to develop skills, be seen by recruiters and pursue the dream.
“If you are serious about pursuing baseball as a career, the best way to do that is to find your way to America. The best option will be trying to go to University in America that has a baseball team. There are tons of scholarships out there that can help pay for it.
Another great way to get seen these days is using social media. Posting videos of you playing or practicing and tagging accounts that share content is an easy way for people to see you and recruit you to come over to America. You are not going to be able to rely on the coaches and teams in South Africa to get you better. You will need to sign up for an online training program that professionals use In America in order to develop your skills.”
If Tayler could do it, so can many more baseball dreamers! And now they know where to start.
You can stay tuned to what Tayler gets up to next by following his Instagram account here.
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