Fire-balling Jameson "Jamo" Taillon is chasing history this spring as a dominating senior pitcher at The Woodlands (Texas).The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder has a legitimate opportunity to become the first high school right-handed pitcher ever to be taken No. 1 in Major League baseball’s June draft.
Photo courtesy of the Caledonian newspaper
Jameson Taillon, The Woodlands
He already has the physical and mental makeup to be a No. 1 Major League starter for many years.
His fastball consistently reaches 94 to 99 miles per hour. He throws a "spiked curve" which breaks sharply at 80-85 mph, a slider at 85-90 and a mid-80s changeup.
"I’m confident in all of them," Jameson Taillon says. "I don’t walk many – at most two in a game."
Despite his youth, Taillon displays a grizzled veteran’s mentality when he says, "I’m not afraid to throw inside. That’s my box. I don’t want people getting too comfortable up there. When you bust them inside, if you hit ‘em, you hit ‘em. My whole family is really competitive. We do not like to lose."
Taillon’s travel ball coach, Mike Rutledge of the elite Kyle Chapman team, says flat-out, "At this level, in my opinion, there never has been a pitcher as dominating in the greater Houston area. He’s ahead of Roger Clemens, who was only the No. 2 pitcher on his high school team. Josh Beckett wasn’t as dominant. Kyle Drabek was not as dominant.
"He’s special to have in the dugout. He’s very insightful. He knows this is going to be his career and he is really focused. As good as he is as a player, he is a better young man.
"He is mature enough and ready to play pro ball. Nothing is going to get in his way. If (he) was stock, I’d invest in Jameson."
Ironically, "Jamo" (a nickname given to him by his older sister, Jasmine, because Jameson was "too formal") was not an immediate baseball fan as a youngster. His father, Michael Taillon, pointed out, "We kind of kid him (now) because when he was a baby, we dragged him to baseball games to watch his older brothers. He loved to throw things and we had the broken windows to prove it."
He began playing T-ball at age 5 and when he turned 9 he joined a select travel team, the Banditos. At that time he primarily played first base and was known more for his hitting. At age 10 he added some pitching duties.
"I could throw hard, but I was really raw," he admitted.
Taillon’s first venture into the national spotlight came as a seventh-grader when he helped the Banditos win the 12-and-under Super Series in Mississippi. His first year at The Woodlands was special because he was only the second freshman and the first freshman pitcher to make the varsity. The accomplishment was even more impressive because the Highlanders returned most of their starters from a national championship team.
"I got to sit back and they kind of took me under their wings," he said of his first varsity campaign, during which he threw only 14 innings and had a 1-0 record. That summer, he recalled, "I got hit in the head with a line drive. The first baseman caught it on the fly. I was on the ground screaming. Then I asked, ‘Did we get the out?’ It literally looked like there was a golf ball in my head (from the swelling). The seams were prevalent.
"I was fine after a few days. Coming back and getting on the mound after that was not an easy thing to do. I remember a few flinches."
Taillon said he expected to be Woodland's No. 3 pitcher as a sophomore, but "ended up being the ace of the staff." He had a big 13-strikeout game against powerful College Park (The Woodlands, Texas) and compiled a 7-3 record. As a junior he was dominant with an 8-2 record and a 2.82 ERA. He struck out 101 batters, walked 21 and allowed 49 hits in 61 innings. He left his mark on Coppell (Texas), which was ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time, with 10 strikeouts during a 5-1 victory.
The Woodlands veteran coach, Ron Eastman, won’t soon forget Taillon’s courageous performance in the playoffs as a junior. Around the fourth inning against Klein Oak (Spring, Texas), he developed a severe blister on the tip of his middle finger, which began bleeding. He had to be taken out in the fifth inning. Eastman noted, "The trainers did wonders" to rehab his ace so he could pitch again just five days later. He was able to defeat one of the state’s best teams, Georgetown (Texas), 8-3.
"I still had a blister and some pain, but there was no bleeding," the hard-nosed hurler said. "Generally, blisters take two weeks to heal."
Photo courtesy of the Caledonian newspaper
Jameson "Jamo" Taillon, The Woodlands
Eastman calls his ace "very special. He’s got a lot of upside. It’s hard to imagine him throwing any harder. With his work ethic and coachability, he can get better at each level as he goes up (after high school)."
Taillon’s summer-long performances prior to his senior year may never have been matched in high school baseball history. Take a look:
* He kicked off his incredible summer by starting the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, striking out the side in his only inning and being named MVP.
"That was incredible," he noted. "I got to meet Cal Ripken and Ernie Banks. Ernie Banks was sitting on a chair in front of my locker and telling stories."
* After going home for one day, he headed for San Diego, where he started the Aflac All-American Game, struck out four in two innings and again was named MVP.
* Still to come, however, was what he called "the highlight of all highlights." He journeyed to Venezuela with the USA Baseball 18U National Team and earned another prestigious MVP honor by striking out 16 in 7 2/3 innings as the Americans defeated powerhouse Cuba, 6-1, to win the Gold Medal in the COPABE "AAA" Pan American Junior Championships.
The USA strikeout record had been 15 by Scott Kazmir and Jeff Manship. "Dog-piling on that field – with all those countries watching us – was pretty cool," Taillon understated.
The American teenagers had problems with the language and food. Taillon noted: "We all lost a significant amount of weight. I lost 10 pounds. It makes you grateful for what you have."
As he prepared for his senior year, the Texas teenager and his family "had meetings with all 30 (Major League) teams. They respect (his privacy), but they all flock to my games. I’ve been on that stage before, so that got me prepared. I get some good adrenaline going, but I definitely don’t feel any pressure."
So far this spring Taillon has compiled a 5-1 record with 96 strikeouts in 47 innings. His only loss was to Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 2-0. He fired a no-hitter and tied Kyle Drabek’s school record with 19 strikeouts during a 7-0 victory over Conroe (Texas).
Call it an aberration, but Taillon gave up 11 runs in less than five innings during a 14-11 loss to rival College Park. Only five runs were earned, however, and a relief pitcher was tagged with the defeat. The big matchup drew a standing-room crowd, which included 25 pro scouts.
"I didn’t have a good game," he admitted. We had seven errors, but I’m not one to make excuses. It kind of shows we (he and opposing pitcher John Simms, also a top pro prospect) got caught up in the hype. It was almost a slap in the face to both of us. Since then we’ve been dealing."
A week later he handcuffed the same team, 8-1, with 14 strikeouts. Simms, who pitched the distance in the first game, also beat the Woodlands, 7-0, during a much-improved second-game performance.
Taillon, who has a 3.85 GPA and has signed with Rice University, is a well-rounded individual. He belongs to the school’s Council of International Affairs, believing that "understanding the world is really important." Influenced by his mother, Christie, he is a regular at a local animal shelter, where he walks dogs and cats and cleans out kennels. "They don’t get out too much," he said. "I’m a big animal lover."
He also is part of the Challenger Baseball program and spends time with special-needs children. "It’s really fun getting out there and interacting with them," he said. "If those kids can have a smile on their face, it kind of gives you a perspective on life."
A boy named Seth who has Down Syndrome knew that Jameson’s favorite baseball player is Beckett, who pitches for the Boston Red Sox. It was a touching moment when Seth proudly presented Jameson with a Beckett baseball card.
"We have similar stuff," Taillon said of Beckett. "He is from a little more than 10 miles down the road (Spring, Texas). There are a lot of comparisons as far as my stuff and body. That would be a dream come true – to match pitches with him (in the Major Leagues).
"I like Curt Schilling. He’s not afraid to speak out. I’m actually pretty quiet, but if you are in the spotlight, there’s no need to not take advantage of it."
The Taillon family has hired a Spring, Texas firm, Hendricks Brothers, as the advisor for Jameson for the upcoming draft.
"It would definitely be an honor (to be chosen No. 1)," he said. "I’d celebrate for a day or two, then hit the weight room. I’d work to make MLB real quick. It would be really neat to be out there pitching at 21 or 22."