Taylor Motter

Taylor Davis Motter (born September 18, 1989) is an American professional baseball utility player for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Motter played college baseball at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina. In three seasons with the Chanticleers (2009–2011), he appeared in 187 games (185 starts) and hit .303 with 18 home runs and 110 RBI with a slugging percentage of .482. He helped lead Coastal Carolina to three consecutive Big South Conference baseball championships, three NCAA Regional appearances and one NCAA Super Regional appearance (2010). While only hitting .256 with no home runs and three RBI in 13 Big South Tournament games, Motter, in 13 NCAA Regional/Super Regional games, hit .333 with three home runs and nine RBI while compiling a .622 slugging percentage.

He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 17th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the Princeton Rays and also played in three games with the Bowling Green Hot Rods that year. He spent 2012 with Bowling Green, 2013 with the Gulf Coast Rays and Charlotte Stone Crabs, 2014 with the Montgomery Biscuits and 2015 with the Durham Bulls. In 2014 he was the MVP of the Southern League All-Star Game after going 3-3 with a home run. Motter was named the Durham Bulls' 2015 team MVP after ranking first in the International League in doubles (43) and extra-base hits (58), 3rd in total bases (229) and slugging percentage (.471), 4th in hits (142), on-base percentage (.366) and runs scored (74) and 8th in batting average (.292). The Rays added him to their 40-man roster after the 2015 season.

Motter was called up to the major leagues on May 15, 2016. He earned his first major league hit the next day in his first at bat off J. A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays. The following game, he hit his first career major league homer off the Jays' Drew Storen. Motter ended his 2016 season with a .188 batting average.

On November 18, 2016, Motter along with Richie Shaffer were traded to the Seattle Mariners for Andrew Kittredge, Dalton Kelly and Dylan Thompson.