Lead-Off Magic

When the Georgia baseball team takes the field tonight against LSU, they will have a secret weapon waiting in left field. Although, by now, Jonathan Taylor isn't as much of a secret.

Last year's lead-off hitter, senior third baseman Ryan Piesel wasn't typical of a batter in the first slot. Regardless, he did his job, got on base, and set the tone for each game. Piesel is now in the Colorado minor leagues system.

Following in his footsteps is another player in the mold of the diminutive speedster. Tonight, Taylor will be the first batter to face the Tigers, and he could very well be the first to reach base.

The 5-8 freshman has already made a profound impact on the No. 1 team in the country, leading the Bulldogs in stolen bases (16 of 20 attempts), and is second on the team in batting average (.386), and on base percentage (.517), trailing superstar first baseman Rich Poythress in both latter categories. His walk to strike-out ratio is almost 2 to 1.

Although no great power threat, Taylor is one of the many reasons that his teammates, especially Poythress, are doing so well. Getting on base in better than half of his plate appearances and then moving himself into scoring position regularly gives the middle of the order a chance to push him home.

In only 70 at bats, Taylor has scored 23 times or 33% of the time.

Only 27 games into the season and Poythress in already threatinging to break the single-season school RBI record set last season by teammate Gordon Beckham. That record is 75, and Poythress, who finished behind Beckham with 72 last year, already has 49.

One wonders how many of those RBIs have been provided by Taylor.

He runs the basepaths like a veterin. He knows how to threaten pitchers with huge leads off of the base, how to make them scared. Instead of thinking about the batter at the plate, they start worrying about the runner on first, who is suddenly heading for second. As a result, the batters who follow Taylor at the plate get better pitches.

In possibly one of the best recruiting classes Georgia baseball has ever seen, Taylor stands out. Sure, there are three other freshman starting on the team, including Piesel's replacement at third base, Colby May, but no one is as electric and excieting as Taylor.

Come to think of it, he needs a nickname. It is still early in his carrier, but I think Speed Racer will do the trick.

Go Speed Racer, go.