Boston Red Sox prospect Nelly Taylor Jr.  still laughs about the time his cousin “gave me cancer. ” 

When he was 5 years old, growing up in Clearwater, FL, Taylor and his cousin were playing football, just like they did every other day. Only this time, it didn’t end the usual way. 

“I got tackled,” Taylor said, “and I felt the pain in my stomach.” 

And just like that, a normal kid who “felt perfectly fine, perfectly healthy,” was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer. 

“I used to actually tell people [his cousin] was the one who gave me cancer,” Taylor said. “I used to tell people that because I was too young. I didn’t understand how it worked. I was like, ‘Yeah, my cousin gave me cancer.’” 

Nelly Taylor Has Been Cancer-Free Since Age 6 After Removal of Kidney

Taylor faced months and months of chemotherapy and treatment, and he also had to have a kidney removed, but Taylor has been cancer-free since the age of 6. And he is forever grateful to his cousin for tackling him that day. 

“It was just a blessing that it happened at the time it did because any later it could have been too late,” Taylor said. 

“I got older and realized, ‘Wow, he saved my life by tackling me.’ And so that’s a funny thing we always have a good laugh about.” 

There would be no contact sports for Taylor after he got sick. But he could play baseball – and play it quite well. 

Nelly Taylor Was Selected by Boston in Round 11 of 2023 Draft

A left-handed hitting outfielder, Taylor piqued the interest of a few Division I college programs, including the University of Central Florida. However, he opted to take the junior college route, playing at Polk State College , where he slashed .353/.467/.620 as a sophomore, with 19 doubles, six triples, six home runs, 48 RBIs, 46 runs scored, 31 stolen bases, 36 walks, and 42 strikeouts in 51 games (229 plate appearances). 

Taylor was perhaps even more impressive defensively, as he did not commit a single error in 127 total chances in the outfield. He was named a first-team All-Suncoast Conference selection, Suncoast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a second-team All-FCSAA selection, and an FCSAA and Rawlings Gold Glove recipient. 

Boston would select Taylor in the 11th round of the 2023 draft, with a scouting report from MLB Pipeline highlighting a potential diamond in the rough: 

“Taylor’s raw tools started to show up more in his second year of junior college as he showed off some of his power-speed combination. He has a quick bat and a loose swing, with long levers that can generate plus raw power. He’s also a plus runner, with the speed and range to play center field, but how much he’ll hit is in question, as his swing can get long at times.” 

Nelly Taylor Opens Eyes With Offensive Prowess Added to Top Defensive Skills

Entering his second minor league season, Taylor had already started to open some eyes. Over the winter, Baseball America named him one of its breakout MLB prospect candidates for the 2025 season, and about a month ago, Brian Abraham, Boston’s senior director of player development, appeared on Baseball America’s Hot Sheet podcast , touting Taylor, who was named Boston’s 2024 Minor League Defensive Player of the Year, as a player to watch. 

“We felt like getting him into our programming and improving his athleticism, improving his bat speed, improving some of his bat-to-ball qualities, we’d really see him take off,” Abraham said. “Obviously there’s still games to be played and a whole year ahead of us, but just from the information that we’re gathering, some of the information that we can look at within the batting cages or within the field currently, we’ve seen some significant strides.” 

Those strides have continued . In 11 games and 39 at bats for High-A Greenville, the 22-year-old has posted a slash line of .282/.378/.462, with a homer, four doubles, five RBIs and three stolen bases. 

“Like many hitters he has to continue to improve,” Abraham said. “But I think the swing decisions and his ability to swing the bat fast and impact the baseball have been really exemplary.” 

Taylor has also shown a willingness to put in the work away from the field. The Red Sox told their No. 22 prospect that they would like him to add weight over the winter, and Abraham said Taylor responded by gaining “probably 20 or so pounds.” 

“He’s been an incredibly diligent worker,” Abraham said. 

“Probably one of our best in terms of pure strength, in terms of power, explosiveness,” Abraham said. “He definitely is towards the top of the organization in a lot of the key metrics that we quantify. And I think that translates pretty well to hitting the baseball hard.” 

Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson