Ian Taylor bets on himself, skips college and joins Blue Jays as undrafted free agent

Former Guerin Catholic outfielder Ian Taylor is betting on himself in hopes that his gamble will lead to the major leagues.

Twenty rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft came and went without Taylor hearing his name called. The state champion outfielder was committed to play at George Mason and had already gone through freshman orientation when his representation let him know the Toronto Blue Jays were interested in signing him as an undrafted free agent.

Scouts from the Blue Jays have been in contact with Taylor since the spring, coming out to Guerin to watch the 5-foot-9, 185-pound outfielder take batting practice, but once he went undrafted, he wasn't sure if turning pro was in his immediate future.

Last Thursday, Taylor's rep began working on a contract. By Friday the deal was complete and Taylor officially signed Tuesday morning, becoming a member of the Blue Jays' organization.

"It was an absolute roller coaster," Taylor said. "On Thursday we figured out that there's a chance we can do this, but then obviously you know you have to negotiate some things with the contracts and figure all that out.

"So, huge thanks to Seth (Gilbertson) of the Willis Sports Agency for that. He was absolutely awesome. The communication he gave was phenomenal."

Taylor is bypassing a chance to play college baseball, but he did receive a signing bonus from the Jays, and they'll pay for his college if he chooses to attend in the future.

Taylor had four home runs as a junior and he credits his older brother, former Purdue baseball player Keenan Taylor, with helping him make adjustments to take his power to a higher level as a senior. The younger Taylor hit five home runs in his first six games, finishing with a .412/.577/.847 slash line with 38 RBIs, four doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 15 stolen bases and 26 walks to just 17 strikeouts, helping the Golden Eagles win their first ever baseball state title.

Taylor said Toronto views him as a quality outfielder with power and speed. Signing a pro contract is the first step to reaching the MLB, and Taylor acknowledged that reaching the pros as an undrafted free agent will be difficult.

"With George Mason (de-committing) definitely was risky because that was a really good spot," Taylor said. "A lot of great coaches. … But at the end of the day, the dream is to play professional baseball and being a free agent is risky. But with some stipulations we figured it'd be a pretty secure thing. But it was still tough because I was very committed to George Mason."

Taylor joins former Westfield star Gage Stanifer as former Hamilton County baseball players in the Blue Jays organization. Stanfier signed as a 19th-round draft pick in 2022 and has developed into the No. 9 player in the Jays organization according to Baseball America. Taylor doesn't have a previous relationship with Stanifer, but the former Shamrock has been a developmental win for the organization.

As Taylor embarks on his pro career, he knows signing a contract is just the first step in his journey.

"The state championship was a great start to the summer, and then signing the contract is a really good way to end the summer," Taylor said. "The dream has just started, is what I would say. But I've been given the opportunity. I have the best facilities around me. Now it's on me to just work my tail off and make it up (to the MLB) pretty soon."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ian Taylor bets on himself, skips college and joins Blue Jays as undrafted free agent