Chris Taylor Retires After 12 Seasons, 2 World Series Titles, 1 NLCS MVP

BusinessSportsMoneyChris Taylor Retires After 12 Seasons, 2 World Series Titles, 1 NLCS MVPByDan Freedman,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dan Freedman is lawyer and IBWAA member who writes about baseball.Follow AuthorMay 26, 2026, 09:00am EDTChris Taylor, who over ten seasons gave Dodgers fans many moments to celebrate, officially retired from baseball. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)Getty ImagesChris Taylor, the two-time World Series champion, former All-Star and NLCS MVP in 2017, has elected to retire from the game of baseball after a heady 12-year career. Taylor, 35, was originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2012 out of the University of Virginia. The native Virginian batted .356 as a freshman, helped lead the Cavaliers to the Men’s College Baseball World Series his sophomore year, and was team captain and second-team All-ACC as a junior, before being drafted.Taylor made his MLB debut for the Mariners on July 24, 2014, going 1-for-3 against the Orioles. He played in 47 games that season, slashing .287/.347/.346, for a 102 OPS+. But in 2015, he regressed. In 37 games, he hit just .107 with no home runs and a single RBI. After starting 2016 with Triple-A Tacoma, Taylor got called up to the big leagues for two games before Seattle traded the (then) infielder to the Los Angeles Dodgers in return for pitching prospect Zach Lee.2017 was Taylor’s breakout campaign. He played 140 games for Los Angeles, slashed .288/.354/.496, and hit 21 homers. But he saved his best for the post-season, where he was named the co-MVP of the NLCS with the Dodgers’ other reclamation project, Max Muncy. Taylor added a home run to lead off the World Series that October against the Astros (a series Los Angeles would ultimately lose in seven games). In Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS, Taylor had a game for the ages, smacking three home runs against the Atlanta Braves to help stave off elimination (for at least one more day). MORE FOR YOUFor mu...