Sacramento Rivercats outfielder Michael Taylor isn’t your typical baseball player. He went to Stanford, helps his teammates with crossword puzzles and calls himself “a big sweetheart.” And he stands out on the field, too: The 24-year-old slugger is considered one of the Oakland A’s top prospects after the A’s traded for him over the winter.

But like all minor leaguers, Taylor has his eye on the majors – and he thinks this could be his year. The Rivercats open the 2010 season Thursday night in Portland, but we caught up with Taylor Wednesday during batting practice at Raley Field.

We’ll follow Taylor over the course of this season to get a sense of what life in the minors is like.