AUBURN - He might be the oldest, and tallest player on the Auburn Doubledays' roster, but Drew Taylor might also be one of the smartest - at least in the book sense. On the mound, the 6-foot-5 southpaw has a 1-0 record in 22 innings pitched this season. The son of former major league pitcher, Ron Taylor (who won a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964 and another with the Mets in '69), the 25-year-old reliever is now playing for the organization that, as a Toronto native, he grew up rooting for - something few minor league players are able to claim.

Here, Taylor talks about the injury that caused his delayed debut in professional baseball, growing up in a baseball family and the not so shabby backup plan he has if baseball doesn't work out.

You came into the organization undrafted and played in Pulaski last season, what led to the late start?

“It was mostly circumstance,” Taylor said. “I had a shoulder injury my junior year in college and that changed things, the way the draft shook down that year. I went back for my fourth year, which was mostly just coming back from the surgery until the season started. I did OK and then came back for my fourth plain year, my fifth season and had a pretty good year. I talked to a couple of teams and the Jays seemed to be interested. They were one of the teams that was interested before I got injured and it seemed like a good fit.”

What happened to your shoulder?

“I had a little bit of tendonitis so because some of the muscles in the back were weaker than in the front, I developed some shoulder pain. Coming back from that has been a bit of a long haul and I'll probably always struggle with keeping my shoulder in the right position and the muscles strong. I'll always have to stay on top of it to make sure it's constantly in good condition.”

What was it like growing up with a former major league pitcher for a dad?

“He was retired before I was born, his last year was '72 and I was born in '82, so he had actually gone back to med school and was a doctor. He was passed all of that, but I grew up around baseball because my dad was the team doctor for the Toronto Blue Jays. I grew up in the environment, in the clubhouse and all that stuff. It was kind of a kick because he'd take me down to a lot of the Legend's Games and the reunions for the past teams. I got to meet guys like Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, a lot of bit players.”

What was it like, meeting players that famous?

“It was amazing. I think it made the transition into professional baseball that much easier because I had grown up around it and met some of these guys who are legends and hall of famers. Coming unto professional baseball took that intimidation away, so it was a little bit easier of an adjustment.”

Your dad played for a few different teams, but did you root for your hometown team growing up?

“I was a big Blue Jays fan. Obviously being from Toronto, I'd go and watch them play all the time. The 1992 and '93 World Series were really great years for me because I got to see them play in and win back-to-back championships. I went down to Atlanta and Philadelphia for both of those series and got to see both home and away games. It was awesome.”

What made you decide to attend the University of Michigan?

“Michigan is a great school, I wanted to go into medicine and they have one of the best med schools in the country there and it seemed like a great fit. I went into biology there and got my undergrad. Because I had a fifth year, I ended up graduating after my fourth year and did a masters in molecular and cellular biology in the last year. That worked out great. I think being at a school like Michigan, where they really push academics, was one of the factors that led to my success. I had a really understanding coach, Rich Maloney, that knew I was really committed to academics and he really encouraged me. Obviously my dad had the same background and was very supportive, so being surrounded by people like Rich and my dad definitely helped make the decision easier.”

What kind of doctor would you want to be if baseball doesn't pan out?

“I actually got accepted to the University of Toronto this offseason, I'm going to do one semester at a time in the offseason, enrolled in biomedical engineering Ph.D. right now. I can't do medical school and baseball at the same time, that's too much. Ph.D. is going to work with me, they're very understanding with my baseball career and they understand that it's my priority. Down the road, I'd like to go back to med school once I'm finished with baseball, hopefully a long time from now. We'll see. I'd like to be an orthopedic surgeon. I call it my backup plan.”