GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Grant Taylor is scheduled to make his 2026 Cactus League debut Monday afternoon in Scottsdale, throwing one inning for the White Sox against the Rockies.
But Saturday’s off-day for the right-hander doesn’t mean he’ll be away from baseball. Taylor made the trip to Sloan Field in Mesa to see his brother Evan, who was set to pitch for the Cubs. The Taylor brothers live together in the Phoenix area during Spring Training.
"Oh, it’s great,” Grant told MLB.com prior to the White Sox beating the Athletics, 11-2, in the '26 Camelback Ranch opener. “It’s not a whole lot after you get out of the house you get to live with your brother, especially living with your brother in Spring Training.
“We are both in professional baseball: Great opportunity and we are really enjoying it. It’s an opportunity for us to be able to get better together and bounce ideas off each other and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Evan Taylor, 26, was a ninth-round selection of the Marlins in the 2022 Draft, joining the Cubs as a free agent last April. He finished with a 2.75 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings over two Minor League stops.
As for Grant, his '25 season started in the Minors, but he finished with a 4.91 ERA over 36 games with the White Sox, fanning 54 in 36 2/3 innings.
There are more differences between the two than just their professional status or overall statistics from '25, as the 23-year-old Grant explained.
"I’m a high-slot righty, he’s a low-slot lefty,” Grant said. “We have a little bit different pitch mix, different plans. He’s a little bit funkier than I am. Yeah, he’s a tough AB for a lefty.
"He’s a little bit funnier than me. He’s a little bit more talkative, but you know, when it comes to baseball, we are similar.”
This upcoming campaign figures to be an important one for Grant, who struck out 16 and walked three over 10 straight scoreless appearances (in nine innings) to close out '25. His long-term desire is to join the rotation, and he’ll be working multiple innings throughout '26 in moving toward that goal while helping the White Sox find team success.
Both the White Sox and Taylor’s camp have laid out the framework of a plan, much as they did prior to his rookie season. Taylor also understands those plans can change, as dictated week to week or even game to game.
"You always want an overall vision. How you get there changes daily,” Taylor said. “I do like there’s a long-term plan in place. I think there’s a long-term plan for everyone in this clubhouse."
"That’s reassuring that the organization cares enough to have conversations with us on what they see us doing long-term. You don’t like it? You can improve it. If you love it, it’s something you can strive toward.”
This immense ability, with a fastball having the potential to go above 100 mph, was on display earlier this week when Taylor struck out four straight during a live BP session on the White Sox back fields at Camelback Ranch. Andrew Benintendi made contact as the last hitter faced by Taylor, lifting the equivalent of a broken-bat single over first, drawing some mock cheers from the hitters for making contact.
Benintendi spoke with Taylor after the session on what he saw and what he could have done better, which Taylor truly appreciated from a veteran stalwart. Taylor also laughed when hearing he was named unofficial “camper of the day” by Venable, followed by Venable stating Taylor objectively has the best stuff in the organization.
"He’s a competitor, he’s a guy you like having out there,” Venable said. “I think he’s just scratching the surface here.”
"It’s great to hear, but there are other guys who have excellent stuff. I don’t know if I can self-proclaim that title,” Taylor said. “There are other guys like Seranthony [Domínguez] or Tanner McDougal who have loud stuff. So I guess I’ll just have to go prove it if he thinks that. … I thought it was funny they all cheered when he got the broken bat. It was good, clean fun.”
Fun was of a more nervous variety for Taylor on Saturday, as he watched his brother in action.
“I think it's tougher to watch him pitch, because I can control to some extent when I’m on the mound,” Taylor said. "Sometimes it’s tough to watch him because whether it’s something good or bad, I can’t really control what’s going on.”
Grant didn't have to worry too much on Saturday, though, as Evan pitched well in his spring debut with the Cubs, striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief against the Rangers.