Dallas Center-Grimes baseball star Taitn Gray is one of the most powerful hitters in the state.
One of the coolest moments of Iowa native Taitn Gray’s baseball career came at the end of the 2024 summer. Gray, playing in a showcase game at Kauffman Stadium (home of the Kansas City Royals), nearly belted a home run, hitting one deep off the right-center-field fence.
“If nothing else, I get to tell my kids that I hit one almost out of Kauffman,” Gray said. “But hopefully there’s more stories to tell.”
Gray is on his way to having more memorable experiences after the Tampa Bay Rays selected the Dallas Center-Grimes star in the third-round of the Major League Baseball Draft on July 13. Gray was the 86th overall pick.
Gray, a switch-hitting catcher/outfielder, boasts a powerful bat and a ton of athleticism that captured the attention of college coaches and MLB scouts the last few seasons. After originally committing to Notre Dame, Gray re-opened his recruitment and decided to play at Oregon.
He became one of the prized pieces of the Ducks' incoming recruiting class thanks to a powerful bat that produced a .538 batting average, 13 doubles and 14 homers in 39 games as a junior.
Professional teams also took notice. Gray entered the two-day draft ranked as the 92nd-best player available in the event. He rapidly improved his draft stock with with his strong exit-velocity numbers at the MLB Draft Combine this year. Gray's batting-practice sessions at Dallas Center-Grimes became must-see events, with scouts flocking to the high school team's field to see him.
Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Taitn Gray of Dallas Center-Grimes selected by Rays in third round of MLB Draft
Category: General Sports
