UPDATE to the UPDATE: He’s still retired
UPDATE: He un-retired
Most of us hadn’t heard much about Chris Taylor when he was grinding it out with the Mariners. He came to the Dodgers in 2016, traded for former first-round pick Zach Lee, and honestly, he didn’t make a ton of noise at first.
Then came that game against the Diamondbacks where he nearly hit for the cycle. He needed just one more hit — a single — and he tried to bunt his way on. Didn’t quite get it. But I still remember Doc — that’s Dave Roberts — being out there rooting hard for him. That moment always stuck with me.
How Chris Taylor Became a Dodger
After that 2016 season CT still wasn’t a major factor. But something changed in spring training 2017: he started learning center field. He actually opened that season in the minors and was promoted pretty early. His first game out there in center was April 19th, 2017, against the Rockies — and he made an impression right away.
From there, he just kept establishing himself. Joc Pederson was struggling to hold down the center field job that year, and by the time the postseason rolled around, CT had taken it. Batting leadoff, starting in center. He had made himself into a real Dodger.
The Moments We’ll Never Forget
Then came the 2017 World Series, Game 1 — first at-bat — home run. That set the tone for what this guy was going to mean to this team.
And the hits kept coming over the years. On October 6th, 2021, CT delivered one of the most memorable moments in recent Dodger history. It was the NL Wild Card Game against the Cardinals. Two outs, bottom of the ninth, Cody Bellinger on second. CT stepped up against Alex Reyes and sent a two-run walk-off home run 420 feet to left-center. Dodgers win 3-1. Series over. Punch your ticket to the NLDS. That’s the stuff of legend.
Then, just fifteen days later on October 21st, Game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves — CT hit three home runs in a single game. Three. The Dodgers won that night, but they ended up losing the series. That’s the kind of performance that deserves to be remembered even when the ending stings.
The Later Years and a Lasting Legacy
CT made the All-Star team in 2021, signed a nice big contract that offseason, and then the injuries started piling up. After 2022 he was never quite the same consistent force. But he was still on that roster. Still in the dugout. Still part of it when the Dodgers won it all in 2024.
The Dodgers released him in 2025. The Angels picked him up, and he got to that ten-year mark for his MLB pension. Good. He earned every bit of it.
Off the field, CT runs the Chris Taylor Foundation and has given back a ton to this community. He got married, had a kid, and built a real life here in LA. I even got to chat with him briefly during one of his rehab assignments. Just a genuinely good dude.
Thank you, CT. What a story. What a Dodger career.
God Bless and Go Dodgers!