Taylor Lynn Hearn…engaged to his fiancé, Andrea Janette Hawkins, on 10/15/22…is a 2012 graduate of Royse City High School, where his no. 21 was retired by the school in 2017…as part of the jersey retirement ceremony, Royse City declared Feb. 23, 2017 as “Taylor Hearn Day”… grandfather, Cleo, was the first African American to attend college on a rodeo scholarship and started producing the Texas Black Rodeo in 1971…Cleo was the first African American to win a major calf roping event in 1970 at the Denver National Rodeo and has a star on the Texas Trail of Fame in the Fort Worth Stockyards…Taylor competed in calf roping competitions until high school…pitched collegiately at San Jacinto College in Houston and Oklahoma Baptist University…went 9-0 with a 3.50 ERA in 15 games/13 starts for Oklahoma Baptist in 2015…struck out 71 batters in 64.1 innings of work; his 9 wins ranked T3rd in the NAIA Sooner Athletic Conference while his 71 strikeouts ranked 10th…originally selected by Pittsburgh in the 22nd round of the 2012 June Draft, but did not sign…also selected by Cincinnati in the 36th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but did not sign, and by Minnesota in the 25th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but did not sign.
2022
Split time between a relief and starting role across three stints with Texas: Opening Day-6/25, 7/15-25, and 8/2-end of season... set career highs in strikeouts (97), starts (13) and wins (6-tied) over 31 total appearances…opened the campaign as part of the Rangers rotation and went 4-5, 6.25 ERA (41 ER/59.0 IP) over 13 starts...pitched exclusively in relief over his final 18 outings of the season, going 2-3 with one save and a 3.51 ERA (16 ER/41.0 IP) in that span...opponents batted .305/.381/.496/.877 (75-246) with nine HR in his starts vs. .208/.276/.318/.595 (32-154) with second HR when he entered out of the bullpen...also posted a significantly higher strikeouts per 9.0 innings figure as a reliever (9.44) than as a starter (8.24)...3.87 walks per 9.0 innings figure was eighth-highest in A.L. (min. 100.0 IP), but improved in his relief appearances (3.29) compared to his starts (4.27)…had five relief outings of 3.0+ SHO IP, the most by a Ranger since Josh Rupe in 2008 (also 5)...recorded first career save 8/21 at MIN (3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO)...posted slightly reverse splits, as LHB hit .270 (24-89) while RHB hit .267 (83-311)...opp. BA by time thru lineup: 1st (.252), 2nd (.287), 3rd (.297)...retired 1st batter faced (relief only) 16 of 18 (88.9%) times...ROUND ROCK: Went 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA (8 ER/12.0 IP) and 20 SO/6 BB over 3 G/2 GS for Round Rock (AAA)...was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week for 7/4-10 after start on 7/8 vs. Albuquerque (5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R-ER, 2 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR, 76 pitches/48 strikes).
2021
Split time in the bullpen and rotation in his 1st full MLB season, going 6-6 with a 4.66 ERA (54 ER/104.1 IP) in 42 games/11 starts and finishing among staff leaders in relief strikeouts (2nd, 55), wins (T3rd, 6), and games (T3rd, 42)…was one of two MLB players to make 30+ relief appearances and 10+ starts in 2021 (ARI’s Caleb Smith, 45 G/13 GS) and just the 3rd Ranger to ever do that in one season, joining Mike Jeffcoat in 1990 (44 G/12 GS) and Jim Umbarger in 1975 (56 G/12 GS)… selected Rangers Player of the Month for July (0-1, 1.72, 3 ER/15.2 IP), his first monthly award.
AS RELIEVER: Went 2-2, 3.54 (21 ER/53.1 IP) with 55 SO (9.3 SO/9) and 27 BB (4.56 BB/9) in 31 relief outings…29 of 1st 30 outings were in relief (start 6/22 vs. OAK), and had extended relief app. on 8/5 vs. LAA and 8/11 at SEA as he was stretched out for rotation…finished 2nd on team in relief strikeouts to Josh Sborz (69)…career-high seven K’s on 4/12 at TB matched most in club history by a relief pitcher in 3.0-or-fewer innings (also Ron Mahay on 8/18/03 at DET and Kenny Rogers on 7/27/91 vs. DET)…had 10.2-inning scoreless streak from 4/25-5/19… recorded at least one strikeout in 18 straight relief outings 4/20- 6/30, the longest strikeout streak by a left-handed relief pitcher in WSH/TEX franchise history.
AS STARTER: Went 4-4, 5.82 (33 ER/51.0 IP) with 37 SO (6.5 SO/9) and 15 BB (2.65 BB/9) in 11 starts, including 8 straight starts to finish the year…1st career win as starter, 8/24 at CLE… earned wins in 4 straight outings 8/24-9/12, longest such streak by a Ranger since Lance Lynn (5 straight, 6/17-7/11/19)…had 3 consecutive walkless quality starts 8/29-9/12, tying a club record done 3 times previously: Colby Lewis (3, 4/11-22/12), Derek Holland (3, 9/2-12/14), Kolby Allard (3, 8/4-15/21)…career-high 91-pitch start in final outing of season, 9/29 vs. LAA.
BY THE NUMBERS: Opponents batted .247/.321/.424/.745 (96- 389) with 17 HR…posted extreme splits, with LHB at .198 (23- 116) and RHB at .267 (73-273)…went 89 consecutive batters faced between walks on 8/24 at CLE (Amed Rosario in 6th) and 9/17 vs. CWS (Eloy Jimenez in 3rd)…owns career 2.12 ERA (12 ER/51.0 IP) in 21 G/four GS in daytime, including 4-0, 2.25 (11 ER/44.0 IP) in 2021.
2020
Posted a 3.63 ERA (7 ER/17.1 IP) in 14 relief outings... only prior MLB action was ML debut as a starter on 4/25/19 at SEA (L, 0.1 IP, 5 R-4 ER)…allowed just 2 R-1 ER over last 6 G (8.1 IP) to drop season ERA from 6.00 to 3.63…only Texas LHP with more appearances was Brett Martin (15)…did not break camp on the active roster, but was recalled from the Alternate Training Site on 8/10 and remained with the big league club thru the end of the season…exhausted his rookie status due to time spent on the active roster.
2019
Recalled from Nashville on 4/25 and made his ML debut in a start that night at SEA (0.1 IP, 3 H, 5 R-4 ER, 4 BB, 0 SO, 0 HR), taking loss in Rangers' 14-2 defeat…it was the fewest outs recorded by a starter making his ML debut since Texas' Wilson Alvarez faced 5 batters (3 H/2 BB) without recording an out on 7/24/89 vs. TOR…was placed on the 10-day injured list the following day with what was eventually determined to be a left elbow ligament sprain…transferred to the 60-day IL on 6/7… did not appear in a game after being placed on the injured list, and team announced on 8/5 that he was formally shut down from returning to game action…marked 1st season to pitch above the Double-A level ...tabbed by Baseball America as Texas' 7th-best prospect entering the season.
2018
Acquired from the Pirates, along with a PTBNL, in exchange for Keone Kela on 7/31...logged a career-best 129.0 IP, compiling the lowest WHIP (1.171) of his career and his 3.3 BB/9 were fewest since pro debut in 2015 (2.8 BB/9 in 48.0 IP)...opponents batted .216/.289/.335/.624... opened season with Altoona (AA) in the PIT organization and was tabbed the 19th-best prospect in the Eastern League by Baseball America...also named an EL Mid-Season All-Star...allowed 3-or-fewer runs in 3 of 5 starts with Frisco following the trade…began season as the Pirates' 9th-best prospect according to Baseball America.
