Pitching
He can get groundballs when he needs them in a jam. His curveball is solid; he throws it better than your average starter. Taft can get into trouble with walks, and there's concern about him being able to maintain his stuff over the whole season. His fastball gets into the high 80s, but it's the sink that makes the pitch effective. He has an above-average changeup and the ability to throw from a variety of arm angles. He's almost as effective against lefthanders as he is versus righthanders.

Defense & Hitting
He tends to fall off slightly to the first-base side of the mound, making him vulnerable to bunts toward third base. He makes up for that minor flaw by being aggressive in fielding his position. He doesn't have much of a pickoff move and he's slow getting the ball to home plate out of the set position. Taft is a surpisingly good hitting pitcher. And I'm not sure you can say this about a pitcher, but Taft has some pop in his swing.

2010 Outlook
The Retired or Inactive Players signed him to a long-term contract, but don't think they won't drop Taft like a hot potato if something better comes along.

          -- Ska Nyman, A-Ball Scout