Taj Porter, Texas Tailgaters’ Catcher Talks Life as a Banana Baller | Ep. 108

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What You'll Learn in This Episode

Host Ross Hawley sits down with Taj Porter, catcher for the Texas Tailgaters of the Banana Ball Championship League, for a candid look inside the fastest-growing show in baseball — and the unlikely path that got him there.

Two years ago Taj was grinding through independent ball, convinced his window was closing. This season he played in front of 102,000 fans at Kyle Field. The turning point? An Instagram DM he was nearly certain was a scam.

The highlights:

  • Why all six Banana Ball teams live, train, and practice together in Savannah
  • What it actually feels like to play in front of a six-figure crowd
  • The DM Taj thought was fake — and the advice from his dad, former NFL running back Ricky Porter, that changed his career
  • How a catcher earns a pitching staff's trust, and why Taj calls it the best leadership seat on the field
  • The investing, business, and personal-branding lessons happening in Banana Ball locker rooms
  • Why Banana Ball is becoming a real career path as the MLB draft shrinks

Inside Banana Ball: Why Everyone Lives in Savannah

All six teams are based in Savannah, and Taj says that's completely by design. Players practice on the same fields, room together across team lines, and build the close-knit culture that shows up on the field. One of his roommates pitches for the Bananas. Another is his shortstop with the Tailgaters.

The mission holding it together is Fans First Entertainment. Taj explains that on-field production isn't the only way to bring value to the organization — creating fans-first moments counts just as much.

"We get a lot of DMs from people telling us how thankful they are just for the joy we bring them. It definitely puts it in perspective that it's a lot bigger than just baseball."

He also breaks down what makes it different from the affiliated grind: it's still fiercely competitive ball, but nobody is getting called into an office and released after a bad week.

102,000 Fans and a Banana Launched Off the Top of Kyle Field

Taj's biggest crowd came this season at Texas A&M. He's normally able to block out a crowd — until a between-innings bit sent him to the very top of Kyle Field to launch bananas onto the field with the Bananas' catcher.

That's when it hit him. He looked around at 102,000 people and admits the moment still doesn't feel real.

The Road to Banana Ball: Draft League, USPBL, and a DM That Looked Like a Scam

Taj followed the traditional route first. A strong junior year produced no draft call. A senior season played through injuries produced another one. Coach Kerrick Jackson gave him his first pro opportunity in the MLB Draft League, and a strong summer in the USPBL in Michigan brought plenty of "we're coming to get you" promises from teams — and nothing else.

At 25, sitting in the physical therapy room after a workout, he opened an Instagram message request from a Savannah Bananas recruiting coordinator inviting him to a tryout. His first reaction was that it had to be fake. His buddy agreed: scammers are getting good.

Then he called his dad.

"You get an opportunity to go to a free tryout, and you're going to turn it down to do what? Go sit on the couch?" — Ricky Porter

Taj drove to the Dallas tryout, had the most fun he'd had in years, and a few weeks later got the call to catch for the Party Animals. Three players from that single tryout made the league.

He was still hesitant at first. Former teammates and coaches joked that he was "about to go dance on a baseball field." Three years later, the same people are telling him he's living the dream.

Why Catching Is the Best Leadership Seat in Baseball

Here's the twist: Taj didn't catch in high school. He was a shortstop, pitcher, and third baseman, and hadn't put on gear since he was 13. Then a summer-ball team in the Cal Ripken League lost its catcher, he volunteered to fill in for a day, and his coach told him he was actually pretty good back there.

Now it's the position that defines him. His approach to the battery:

  • Learn every pitcher as an individual. No two guys need the same thing.
  • Build trust in both directions. He's caught teammate Christian Davis for seven years — whatever he puts down gets thrown with conviction, and the rare shake-off gets the same respect.
  • Know when to calm a guy down or speed him up. That, Taj says, is the real key to a good battery.

"I love being able to lead and be in every play. It's kind of like being the quarterback of the field."

Locker Room Business School: "You Are Your Own Brand"

One of the biggest surprises of Banana Ball has been the off-field growth. With teammates spanning every age and background, locker room conversations turn to investing, buying and selling houses, starting LLCs, and building a brand — with the veterans openly coaching up the younger guys.

Taj's biggest takeaway on personal branding is simple and hard to fake:

"There's nothing better than authenticity. Once people can see this isn't a fraud, this isn't a script or a facade you're putting on for the internet, they're more willing to follow your journey."

No Egos, and a Manager With 40 Years in the Minors

Ross asks about the thing he disliked most about pro baseball at that age: the egos and the cliques. Taj says they're checked at the door, and it starts at the top — from Jesse Cole, who stays out signing autographs for hours after players have showered and gone to eat, to Tailgaters manager Joe Mikulik, who spent 40 years in the minors and doesn't tolerate anyone acting bigger than the program.

Is Banana Ball Becoming a Real Alternative to Affiliated Ball?

With the MLB draft potentially shrinking to 12 rounds, Ross asks whether players will start choosing Banana Ball outright. Taj thinks it's already starting.

He's clear that the goal isn't to compete with or "ruin" MLB — it's to prove there's another route to play great baseball, put on a show, and make a living doing it. The developmental Visitors roster is stacked with Triple-A, independent, and high-draft-pick talent, and Jackie Bradley Jr. playing full time may be the league's strongest endorsement yet.

Advice for Anyone Standing at a Fork in the Road

Taj's message for players — and for anyone second-guessing a career change — is that it's okay to switch paths, no matter what you told yourself you'd become as a kid.

"Risks are very, very tough. But change doesn't come without change. And at the end of the dark tunnel, there's a light."

His sign-off says the rest: "Have fun. Live your life. Be you."

Episode Timestamps

Tap any timestamp to jump the player straight to that moment.

  • 1:55 — Why all six Banana Ball teams live and train in Savannah
  • 3:58 — Playing in front of 102,000 fans at Kyle Field
  • 5:26 — Competitive but stress-free: how Banana Ball differs from indie and minor league ball
  • 7:32 — Is the culture intentional? Recruiting talent and good people
  • 9:12 — Jesse Cole, 10 ideas a day, and leading by example
  • 10:52 — Building trust with a pitching staff as a catcher
  • 12:56 — How Taj accidentally became a catcher in the Cal Ripken League
  • 15:38 — The full path: no draft call, MLB Draft League, USPBL, and the DM
  • 19:09 — Ricky Porter's advice and the Dallas tryout
  • 21:16 — Handling the doubters and the social media jokes
  • 23:35 — Business, investing, and personal branding lessons
  • 26:33 — Advice for anyone at a career crossroads
  • 29:47 — Banana Ball vs. a shrinking MLB draft
  • 33:26 — Egos checked at the door with manager Joe Mikulik
  • 35:05 — Star moments: Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Bill Belichick, 50 Cent, and Johnny Knoxville as a human strike zone

Taj Porter is the catcher for the Texas Tailgaters in the Banana Ball Championship League. Follow him on Instagram and TikTok. Subscribe to the Baseball Forward Podcast for more conversations with the players, coaches, and leaders elevating the next generation of the game.