Samad Taylor signed a minor league contract with the Padres in January. A 27-year-old journeyman, Taylor was originally selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 10th round of the 2016 MLB Draft before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017, the Kansas City Royals in 2022 and the Seattle Mariners in 2024. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 2023.
A native of Corona, Taylor played for the same San Gabriel Valley travel ball organization as Padres first baseman Ty France. Since being called up in early June, he has made an impact with timely at-bats, small ball and strong defense. His energy and positive presence on the field and in the clubhouse have earned him the nickname “Sparkplug.”
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Were you always good at baseball growing up, and did you play any other sports?
A: I was always good, but I felt growing up I was a little better at soccer at the time. Soccer was really the love. I had a couple neighbors that lived across the street that were soccer players, so I was always playing with them and I just fell in love with the game of soccer. But I would like to say that baseball talent took over, just being super-athletic. I wasn’t always fast, so I gained speed over time, but just to be super athletic and go out there and be on the field — you’re on a big diamond just having fun, and the talent showed once I got a little older in baseball.
My dad and mom, everything was baseball, baseball, baseball. My parents pushed me a lot to become the player that I am now. And when I hit 15, 16 (years old), that summer I went to Jupiter, Fla. I played a tournament and (there were) the most scouts I think I’ve ever seen in my life. And it was just like, “Oh my gosh, this is where I’m at, this is what I want to do.”
What do you remember about the day you were drafted?
A: It’s funny. Dad was at work, mom was at work, sister was at work. My sister’s college roommate was down visiting, and it was just me and her at home. The first day happened — you wish you’d go the first day and you don’t go the first day. (I was) down a little, and you’re like, ‘Oh well, what’s the next step?’ Then the Guardians called. The agent I had at the time was like, “Hey, this is what they got.” I was 17 years old when I graduated high school. When you hear any sort of money number, knowing that it’s going to be your money, it’s like, “Whoa.” I had a desire to go to college — I was committed to the University of Arizona — but once I heard my name and that there was a possibility of me getting drafted, college kind of was in the back of my head. I just wanted to chase my dream. My ultimate dream was to get drafted and make it to the big leagues and I’ve achieved both of those goals.
You were introduced to the business of baseball early when you were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays a year after you were drafted. How did you process that at the time?
A: You get drafted, that’s a check mark, and then you don’t really think about trades. I thought trades only happen in the big leagues, so I really didn’t know (anything) about minor league trades. You build bonds and relationships with teammates … I had a group of guys that I was real jarred in with. And then you go to sleep and you wake up, and (snaps fingers) you’re on a flight going somewhere else. It was a wild, wild experience and moment at that time. When it happened, I was sad for a second, just down. Like, “Dang, they gave up on me already,” not knowing everything that goes into it. I was supposed to go to Vancouver, Canada, at that time. So I’m going from Ohio to Canada. And it’s a blink of an eye. I was getting ready for a game when I got traded. I was walking to the (batting) cage and the manager came and got me from the cage and sat me in his office. He was on the phone and he’s like, “Hey, we traded you to the Toronto Blue Jays.” And the host family that I was staying with — still to this day, I’m super close with them — they made it easier on me. … I didn’t have a passport, so now I gotta go to Bluefield, W. Va., and that was a place where I thought I was gonna end my career and hang it up. Because you go from a good city to a city where there’s nothing. The travel’s terrible. It was just all rough at that time. Then a week later, I got my passport and went to Vancouver and won a championship there, so it was great.
Samad Taylor #0 of the San Diego Padres celebrates after a single during the tenth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park on Tuesday, June 9, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Did you play in Australia during the COVID-19 season?
A: Yep. In 2019 at the end of the season … (the Blue Jays) contacted me and said, “Hey, do you want to go play in Australia?” And I mean, yeah. Like, we’re talking about another country. So I went down there, played there for three months of the winter and then came back. When I came back, America was dead smack in the worst part of our COVID phase. It was like, “Whoa.” … (Australia) was a great experience. I would go back again for sure to visit Australia, but coming home was just rough. Coming from freedom to isolation.
At that time, the baseball talent and level (in Australia) wasn’t what it is now. I’ve had a couple teammates and buddies that have gone and played recently, and they said the talent is way better (now) than what it was when I went. But Australia’s a beautiful place. I feel like we get lost in everything that is talked about on social media — kangaroos fighting, driving on the opposite side of the road, spiders, insects, snakes — if you can get past that, you’d love Australia. Australia’s the top three places that I think I’ve ever stepped foot on.
Don’t forget the Vegemite.
A: I can’t do the Vegemite. They were trying to get me on it. I took a bite, and I can’t do the Vegemite. But Australia has the best seafood I think I’ve ever ate in my life.
The Blue Jays traded you to the Royals. So now you’re in your seventh minor league season and you’ve been traded multiple times. Were you at a point where you thought to yourself, “I don’t know if I’m going to make it to the major leagues?”
A: Yes and no. I say yes, just on the strength of (how) you grind all the time to get to a certain point in your career and certain things don’t happen and you start to have doubt. But I say no just on the strength of: I’m a forever fighter. Whatever’s thrown at me, I just kind of roll with the punches and maneuver my way and find another avenue. I always stood by God, stood by my parents, stood with my agent. They’ve always pushed me to just keep going, keep going. Like yes, the light at the end of the tunnel may seem far, but you’re taking steps closer to the light. And here we are.
You recently put together a 12-game hitting streak, the longest by a Padres player this season. What was working so well for you during that stretch?
A: I have fun. I’m a kid at heart and this is a kid’s game. I treat it like I’m outside playing with my buddies just to stay away from the stress aspect of it. Because yes, you’re in the big leagues. The big leagues are stressful. There’s a lot of things that are going on. You may be hitting .400, you may be hitting .100. If I can find ways to not stress and dwell on the negative, I feel like I’m in a great position. I’ve been doing a pretty good job of just going out there, having fun, just being me. I’m Samad Taylor. I’m going to have fun. I’m just a joyful guy when it comes to the baseball field. I just show up to the ballpark every day and tell myself, “This might be the last day, so have as much fun as you can.”
Have you always had this joyfulness when you’re playing?
A: Oh yeah. From Day 1. If you let my mom tell you, my mom will tell you I don’t stop talking. But it’s not that I don’t stop talking, it’s just that I’m so happy and joyful to have the opportunity to come to a ballpark and play a kid’s game every day. And just the reality of it: There’s going to be a day where you have to hang your cleats up. I don’t want that day to be sped up off of me not handling business the right way. So I just show up to the ballpark, do what I got to do and have fun. Whatever happens, happens.
Kansas City Royals’ Samad Taylor, center, celebrates with teammates after hitting a single to drive in the winning run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Saturday, June 17, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. The Royals won 10-9. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Your first major league hit was a walk-off for the Royals. Everyone went crazy. When you think back to that day, what stands out?
A: It was just a dream come true. Going back to that moment, the only thing I can do is just thank God. He put me in a position to let my talent show. Yeah, it was a whirlwind. It was a moment I’ll never forget. I don’t try to think back too much about it, just because it puts you in that, “Wow, wow,” and then you get away from what we’re working on (today). But it was a great moment. I hit the ball and knew at that point the ball was deep enough to win the game and after that I blacked out. All I remember was first base coach Damon Hollins saying, “Touch first base, touch first base!” and then that was it. I turned to the dugout and the rest was history.
You got traded again — this time to the Seattle Mariners — and played a handful of major league games in ’24 and ’25. You experienced quite a few call ups, demotions and roster moves in the minors. How did you handle that, and how did it ultimately shape you?
A: I just rolled with the punches. Yeah, it sucks. You start to question, like, “Why me?” … It shaped me tremendously. The worst of the worst has happened to me in my career. I don’t really dwell on stuff that I can’t control and I can’t handle. The only thing I can handle and control is my effort and my attitude. I’m gonna go out there, I’m gonna give it my all every day, and I’m gonna have a good attitude regardless of if things aren’t going my way. Having those cups of coffee the three years prior to now were tough, just because you get to the big leagues and you want to contribute and you want to play yourself into a role of being on the field. I just felt like I didn’t put myself necessarily in the best position to go out there and do that. But I’ve taken drastic steps in the right direction of just being myself every day, regardless of wherever (I am) in the lineup. I just got to be myself every single day.
What about you has changed the most over the past several years?
A: Just attitude and understanding. Being young, as we all know, you think you know everything and you think you understand everything. But in reality, until you go through certain things in life, you don’t really grasp and understand everything. I feel like that’s the biggest thing that’s changed in my life — not even just in my career; in my everyday life. Like, I don’t dwell on things. Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen. The script is already written. I just try to stay positive through everything.
When you were first called up to the Padres, the team was going through a losing skid. You were in the clubhouse telling reporters, “We’re going to turn it around, we’ve got this.” You were pumping guys up in the dugout; you were using ABS challenges late in games. What gives you the confidence to move like you do?
A: I would say this year, especially, is having the staff behind you that trusts you. Not saying that previously the staff didn’t trust me … But getting called up now, understanding where I’m at in my career and understanding everything that I’ve gone through in my career, you start to gain confidence from certain key folks that play a big role in your career. Shout out to (AJ) Preller and Craig (Stammen). When I first got called up, they said, “Be you, keep doing you.” And understanding that “you” is good enough. That’s the biggest thing. So, I just be myself. San Diego fans are gonna see that I just have fun. I don’t really worry about a lot of things.
Stealing bags and baserunning wasn’t always a strength of your game. What kind of work went into developing that?
A: It all goes back to understanding the player I am. Early in my career, you get to the minor leagues and you want to hit home runs, you want to do this, you want to do that. You don’t get promoted. “Why am I not getting promoted?” “You got to do this.” So, I’m gonna try to do that. I was just so far in what everybody else wanted instead of just doing what I know I do best. First year, I think I had six stolen bases. In short-season A (ball), I think I had (seven). And then I didn’t get to double digits until 2018. I was in Low-A and I had 44 bags. Yes, I got thrown out a good amount of times, but (it) taught me the percentages of everything … That’s really when I started to unlock that one last thing that needed to be unlocked. I unlocked it and I feel like I’m a pretty good baserunner and base stealer.
Did you work on speed too?
A: Yes. I flat-out just did not know how to run. My head was all over the place. I ran side to side. It was bad. I had to learn how to run and learn how my body moved. Once I got a grasp of that, the rest was history.
You’re 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds. I’m sure people doubted you along the way. Did you doubt yourself?
A: Never once have I doubted myself. But to what you said, growing up being the small guy, I was always told, “You’re too small and you’re never going to make it.” I was always told negative things, so that kind of gives you a little glimpse and taste of why I fight the way I fight. I like to prove people wrong. I like to personally have the final say of, “I told you. This is what I’ve been working for. You may not have thought I would be able to do it, but now look at it. I’m doing it.” I love to be able to prove the people that doubted me wrong.
It sounds like maybe this opportunity with the Padres is different just because you’ve grown into yourself and who you are?
A: One-thousand percent agree. You can’t get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re going. I felt like early in my career, I didn’t know where I was going. I was just going out there playing baseball hard and just doing what I was doing. When people started to guide me to certain avenues and certain routes and stuff like that, I feel like it helped me tremendously on just understanding who I am as a ballplayer.
Padres outfielder Samad Taylor makes a catch in the eighth inning against the Reds on Wednesday. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
What are you passionate about off the field?
A: Video games, clothes and shoes, and perfume.
What are your top recommendations in each category?
A: Video games, I’m a “Call of Duty” and “MLB: The Show” guy. Shoes — right now, it’s bad with shoes. Asics are comfortable. I’m a big Jordan guy. My favorite Jordans ever are the Hot Punch 4s. Perfume: Bond No. 9 Greenwich Village. Favorite smell ever. But you can’t go wrong with Baccarat. Those are the only two I can give you. The other ones I gotta keep low-key. I gotta smell like me, and that’s it.
Favorite big-league perk?
A: There’s a couple. Charter flights. … The food. I’m gonna shout out our cooks in San Diego. I can’t speak for everybody else, but the San Diego Padres have the best cooks. And three, honestly, just being around a good group of guys. You look at our staff and you look at our roster — you have every type of personality in our locker room and I feel like we all come together. It’s a blast in the locker room. It’s a blast just to be able to come to the ballpark and call these guys your bros and your teammates, knowing that you’re going out on the field every day and you guys are fighting with the same fight and pulling from the same rope. It makes everything better when you’re in the big leagues and you’re doing those things.