This breakout South African arm wants to break mold for MLB back home

HOUSTON -- If you saw Tayler Scott in the hours leading up to the July 29 series opener against the Pirates, you would not know he was starting that day. Usually one of the most reserved guys in the Astros’ clubhouse, Scott had a calm demeanor all day and kept it when he took the mound as the emergency starter after Jake Bloss was traded that day.

Scott threw three scoreless innings, striking out four batters, in the 5-3 loss to the Pirates, and his performance surprised no one.

Born in Johannesburg, Scott made MLB history in 2019 when he became the first South African pitcher to pitch in the big leagues. He has quietly been one of the Astros’ most significant pitching developments this season while taking on a bigger role in the bullpen.

“He’s got the confidence, and he’s really taking control of the situation,” said Tayler’s father Rodney, who still lives in South Africa. “It was just really great to see him get through three innings [that] way. It was unbelievable for us.”

Scott has taken a major step forward, sitting at a 1.82 ERA in 54 1/3 innings pitched. For reference, he had a 14.33 ERA in 16 1/3 innings during his first season as a big leaguer with the Mariners and the Orioles in 2019.

“Biggest thing for me was my pitch usage,” Scott said about his improvement. “I’ve changed that around quite a bit and started throwing a lot more pitches that I wasn’t in the past that I found out ended up being my best pitches.”

Even though he’s been one of Houston’s most consistent relievers this season, Scott thinks that just “a very small group” of people back home know he’s playing in the Major Leagues.

Scott is working to change that and grow the game by uplifting baseball’s profile in South Africa.

“[Baseball] did change my life,” Tayler said. “It brought me over to America, and it’s given me this wonderful life that I’ve lived, all from a dream. It was kind of silly to people. You know, being from South Africa [and wanting] to play Major League Baseball was kind of silly, but it’s helped me and changed my life. So I know that there are kids out there that could do the same thing, but they just need the opportunities. They just need a little help to do that.”

Scott’s parents make every effort to watch his games -- even though South Africa’s time zone is seven hours ahead of Houston’s. Since MLB games aren’t shown on TV, they watch through the MLB app. Baseball isn’t exactly the most popular sport in South Africa, and the reasons for its status are complicated.

“[Baseball’s] very, very small,” Rodney Scott said. “It’s only a small, select number of kids that play baseball in South Africa. They don’t have a strong infrastructure, they don’t have a strong leadership in terms of people driving the sport in the country. So, you know, I think that’s what they need and it needs to start from the bottom. But it definitely hasn’t developed anymore since we took Tayler over to the United States.”

Scott eventually moved to the U.S. for baseball and played for Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. It’s a decision that he still recommends to young South Africans who are serious about pursuing baseball.

“The biggest thing to do is [to] try and come to high school, college in America. That way you get the right coaching, you play a lot more baseball,” he said. “ … That’s the only real shot you have at pursuing baseball.”

However, moving to the U.S. may not be a viable option for all young South Africans. Fortunately for him, Scott’s parents were able to afford to move him to the U.S. and to take turns staying with him while he was in high school.

“It was a lot easier for us to share responsibilities between my wife and I. Otherwise, it becomes very, very difficult logistically and also financially because of the exchange rates,” Rodney Scott said.

In an effort to mitigate the lack of baseball infrastructure, Tayler is part of a group that is trying to organize camps and clinics in the MLB offseason. Gift Ngoepe, the first South African to play in MLB and now the manager of the Arizona Complex League D-backs, is also contributing to the effort. While some of the camps will be geared towards kids, Scott placed an emphasis on the ones “to start coaching the coaches.”

And as Scott continues to be one of the Astros’ most reliable relievers this season, organizing initiatives to help grow baseball back home is something that continues to be a priority for him.

“It’s still in the beginning phases. There’s not much to it just yet. We’re still trying to get everything done,” Scott said. “It’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna take a lot of time and money. It would be a great thing if MLB could get back involved and start creating camps and sending players over there again to do clinics and camps. That alone gets kids interested [in] the next level, you know? When they see a Major League Baseball player dressed in a cool uniform from America, they get excited.”