Michael Anthony Taylor (born March 26, 1991) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Chicago White Sox.

Taylor was selected by the Nationals in the sixth round of the 2009 MLB draft, made his MLB debut with them in 2014, and was a member of the 2019 World Series championship team. He spent most of his career with the Nationals, where he was a strong performer in postseason play. In 2017, he became the first MLB player in history with four or more RBIs in back-to-back playoff games. In 2019, he helped spark the team's comeback in the Wild Card Game and contributed throughout their World Series-winning postseason run. Generally considered an elite defender, he won a Gold Glove Award and Fielding Bible Award in 2021.

Taylor was born to military parents; his father, Anthony Taylor, was a logistics officer for 22 years in the U.S. Army. Taylor has four older sisters. He attended Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and played for the school's baseball team. One teammate was Matt den Dekker, with whom he would play for the Washington Nationals in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

The Washington Nationals selected Taylor in the sixth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He forwent a commitment to the University of North Florida to go professional with the Nationals. Taylor did not make his minor league debut in the 2009 season but served as a versatile infielder for the Gulf Coast League Nationals in 2010, committing 21 errors across three positions: shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman. He appeared in 38 games and batted .195 with one home run.

At the beginning of fall instructional league play in 2010, Taylor was told he would be switching positions from shortstop to center fielder, after a hand injury had limited his development in the infield in his first year in the Nationals' minor league system. Beginning at the Class A Hagerstown Suns in 2011, Taylor exclusively appeared as an outfielder, a trend that continued with the Class A-Advanced Potomac Nationals in 2012 and 2013. His offensive output improved as well, as he batted .263 with 10 home runs in 133 games with the Potomac Nationals in 2013, earning him honors as the team's Player of the Year, before heading to Puerto Rican winter baseball to play for the Indios de Mayaguez.

Taylor was added to the Washington Nationals' 40-man roster on November 20, 2013, after the end of the 2013 season. At the time, he ranked as the Nationals' fourth-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and seventh-best according to Baseball America.

On August 10, Taylor was called up by the Nationals when Steven Souza was placed on the 15-day disabled list. On August 12, he made his Major League debut against the New York Mets in Citi Field, where he collected his first major league hit, a single off pitcher Rafael Montero. He also hit his first major league home run, a two-run homer against pitcher Carlos Torres, that night. Taylor was optioned back to the AAA Syracuse Chiefs on August 23, after the Nationals selected veteran Nate Schierholtz's contract. He was again recalled after rosters expanded in September and was in center field on September 28, in the final game of the 2014 regular season, when Jordan Zimmermann completed the first no-hitter in Nationals history.

Taylor was ranked third among Nationals prospects by the end of 2014 by MLB Pipeline and second by Baseball America.