Charley Taylor, who served as the Lexington Legends pitching coach for eight seasons, passed away Saturday night, Feb. 18 after a long battle with cancer.

Taylor (pictured), a resident of northern Kentucky, served as a coach in professional baseball for 31 years. He was the Legends pitching coach from 2001 through 2008. He also held the title in 2009, but did not work with the Legends that year due to his illness. He returned to baseball the next season and worked with Houston Astros’ minor leaguers in the Gulf Coast League for two more years before retiring.

As a player, Taylor pitched at Eastern Kentucky University before being drafted in the 24th round in 1969 by the Astros. He reached the triple-A level with Denver in 1974. After retiring as a player following the 1975 season, Taylor worked in the front office for the Cincinnati Reds for five years and occasionally served as a batting practice pitcher for the Reds before beginning his long coaching career in the Houston organization. He was elected to the Legends Hall of Fame in 2005.

“Charley Taylor was well known to everyone associated with the Legends for his long tenure as pitching coach,” said Legends President/CEO Andy Shea. “And those who got to know him, including the players he worked with, Legends fans and Legends employees, will remember him as a gentleman who always had a kind word for everyone. It was a pleasure to be around Charley. He will be greatly missed.”

Photo by Mary Lay, Lexington Legends