Taylor Hearn

BIOGRAPHY

Taylor Lynn Hearn was born on August 30, 1994, in Royse City, Texas. He is a pitcher in the MLB. 

Hearn attended Royse City High School in Royse City, Texas. He was drafted after his senior year by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 22nd round of the 2012 Major League Baseball draft. Rather than sign, he chose to attend San Jacinto College to play college baseball. He was then drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB draft, but did not sign. After a second season at San Jacinto, he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 25th round of the 2014 MLB draft. He chose to transfer to Oklahoma Baptist University instead of signing. After one year at Oklahoma Baptist, he was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB draft and signed. 

Hearn spent the 2015 season with the both the rookie GCL Nationals and the Class A Short Season Auburn Doubledays, posting a 1–5 record and a 3.56 ERA in 12 games. He began 2016 with the GCL Nationals and was later promoted to the Class A Hagerstown Suns. On July 30, 2016, the Nationals traded Hearn along with Felipe Vázquez to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Mark Melancon. He played the rest of the season with their Class A West Virginia Power. In 18 games pitched between the Nationals, Doubledays, and Suns, he had a 2–1 record with a 2.44 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 51.2 innings. Hearn played the entire 2017 season with the Class A-Advanced Bradenton Marauders, accumulating a 4–6 record and a 4.12 ERA in 19 games. He began 2018 with the Double-A Altoona Curve and was selected for the Eastern League All-Star team.

In 2018, Hearn acquired from the Pirates, along with a PTBNL, in exchange for Keone Kela on July 31. He logged a careerbest 129.0 IP, compiling the lowest WHIP of his career and his 3.3 BB/9 were fewest since pro debut in 2015. His opponents batted .216/.289/.335/.624. Hearn opened season with Altoona in the PIT organization and was tabbed the 19th-best prospect in the Eastern League by Baseball America.He was also named an EL Mid-Season All-Star. He allowed 3-or fewer runs in 3 of 5 starts with Frisco following the trade. He began season as the Pirates' 9th-best prospect according to Baseball America. 

The Rangers added him to their 40-man roster after the season. In 2019, Hearn was optioned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds to open the season. Hearn was called up to the Rangers on April 25, 2019, to make his major league debut that night against the Seattle Mariners.

Hearn went 6–8 with a 5.13 ERA and 97 strikeouts over 100 innings in 2022. He bounced between the rotation and bullpen that season, as well as being demoted to the Round Rock Express of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League for three games.

On January 13, 2023, Hearn agreed to a one-year, $1.4625 million contract with the Rangers, avoiding salary arbitration. 

On July 30, 2023, the Braves traded Hearn to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Nicky Lopez.

He is said to have the most Texas background possible. That's because he grew up on the rodeo circuit. He was a standout, too, going all over the country to participate in calf roping competitions.

For now, Hearn is also not the most famous athlete in his family. His grandfather, Cleo Hearn, was the first African American to attend college on a rodeo scholarship and the first to win a major calf roping event in 1970 at the Denver National Rodeo.