GoodSports: Texas Rangers draft paralyzed Johnathan Taylor

On March 6, 2011, University of Georgia outfielder Johnathan Taylor collided with fellow outfielder Zach Cone and boke his neck. He was left paralyzed from the waist down and, obviously, couldn't play baseball anymore. Then yesterday, the defending American League Champion Texas Rangers drafted Taylor in the 33rd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. 

"It was something we felt was right," Kip Fagg, the Rangers' director of amateur scouting, told FoxSportsSouth.com. 

The Rangers had also drafted Cone No. 37 overall in the compensation round between the first and second rounds. 

The club had reportedly planned to draft Taylor anyway. A Georgia-based Rangers scout, Ryan Coe, has known Taylor since high school. "The club has always liked his passion and ability as a player," Fagg said. 

In two-plus seasons at Georgia, Taylor started 91 games and played in 117 total. He batted .312 for his career, stole 36 bases in 48 attempts (including a team-high 23 in 27 as a freshman in 2009). He was majoring in consumer economics, was named to the Southeastern Conference Freshman Academic Honor Roll in 2009 and was named to UGA's athletic director's Honor Roll in 2010. 

He's rehabbing at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. Doctors say he'll likely never walk again, but of course, Taylor is trying to prove them wrong. "That's my determination," he told ESPN.com back in May. "Right now, that's my goal—to get back on the field and play baseball, because that's what I care most about. But I'm not worrying about long-term. I'm thinking about right now, and doing what I need to do." 

A Johnathan Taylor Fund has been set up through the UGA Athletic Association website, georgiadogs.com. Donations can be mailed to the account below or dropped off at any First American Bank and Trust location. 

First American Bank and Trust
c/o Johnathan Taylor Fund
P.O. Box 1688
Athens, Ga., 30603

You can also visit Johnathan's CaringBridge site here. 

[ Johnathan Taylor Drafted By Texas ... | GeorgiaDogs.com ]

[ Rangers help paralyzed player realize dream | FoxSportsSouth.com ]

[ Photo: GeorgiaDogs.com ]