Georgia outfielder Johnathan Taylor, who was paralyzed after colliding with a teammate in March, was drafted by the Texas Rangers on Wednesday in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft.
UGA’s Johnathan Taylor had been scouted for years by the Texas Rangers, and despite the incident that left him paralyzed, the Rangers said they would be honored to have such a courageous young man on their team.
Ryan Coe, the Texas Rangers scout for Georgia spoke on the decision to draft the young man, saying:
“The kid, he’s obviously going through a tough time, and this was a way to let him know that people are thinking about him. And you know what? The kid deserved to be drafted. He was a good player for all those years. He’s somebody we had interest in had he been healthy.”
Coe finished his statement with,
“He deserved the recognition to be drafted … that’s all I can say.”
In the first round, the Rangers picked Georgia’s Zach Cone, who was involved in the devastating outfield collision with Taylor in a March 6 game against Florida State.
Cone and Taylor remain best of friends and celebrated Wednesday’s announcement over the phone.
Taylor was undergoing rehabilitation at Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta that has continued since surgery for a broken neck, that resulted in Taylor being paralyzed from the waist down.
Zach Cone was filled with joy after recalling the moment with his friend and teammate.
“JT was so pumped up and couldn’t have been happier. He was very surprised and not expecting it to happen. I was very happy for JT because I knew being drafted was something he always wanted.”
Taylor played at North Cobb High School and the past three seasons at Georgia.
He had been scouted for years by Coe, who joined the Rangers last year after 13 seasons as an assistant at Kennesaw State.
A truly feel good story for a kid who deserves it.
