Hello, my name is: Chris Taylor, Mariners shortstop

We’re introducing some of the Mariners’ offseason additions and lesser-known players during spring training. Here’s a look at Chris Taylor.

• Position: Shortstop
• Height/weight/age: 6-1/197/24
• Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va.
• How acquired: Selected in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. Taylor made his MLB debut on July 24, 2014, and is competing for a starting position with Brad Miller.

What he’d be if he wasn’t a baseball player: While Taylor admits to never giving much thought to anything other than playing baseball for a living, he may have given firefighting a shot if things had played out differently. “My uncle’s a firefighter and it seems like they have really good hours. He spends a lot of time with his family,” Taylor said.

Favorite dish made by his mom: Clam sauce spaghetti.

Favorite recording artist: Taylor likes country music. “My favorite country singer is Eric Church. I like him a lot. I saw him live in Charlottesville, Va., which is my college town,” he said.

Hidden talent: Taylor knows how to juggle, and the reason why he learned is as interesting as the talent itself. “I was a part of a Shakespeare festival in middle school, and in order to get out of class I had to learn how to juggle,” he said.

Favorite cartoon growing up: “Recess”. “I’d watch it every day before I’d go to school,” he said.

Favorite cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Favorite baseball memory from his youth: Taylor once played in a tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y., the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. “I played in a 12-and-under tournament there with my AAU travel team. We were all bunking in the same area and we were trading baseball pins, really just having a good time,” he said.

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