Major League Baseball

Report: Ex-Yanks prospect faces charges

Published Mar. 2, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

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Brien Taylor, the Yankees' top pitching prospect in the early 90s, was arrested in North Carolina on charges of cocaine trafficking, The Jacksonville Daily News reported.

Taylor, 40, was taken into custody Thursday following an undercover operation in coastal Carteret County.

The Carteret County Sheriff's Office alleges undercover officers purchased large quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine from Taylor over a period of several months.

Taylor, who was being held on a $275,000 bond, is facing several counts related to cocaine trafficking.

The North Carolina native was considered a "can't-miss" prospect when he was drafted first overall out of high school by the Yankees in 1991. The flamethrowing lefty held out for a then-record $1.55 million contract before entering the Yankees' minor league system.

He was on course for the majors as one of MLB's best prospects, but his promising career was derailed by shoulder injuries suffered in a fight near his North Carolina home in the winter of 1993. After major surgery on his throwing shoulder, Taylor was never the same, and he retired from baseball in 2000.