BRADENTON, Fla. -- When Jameson Taillon walked into manager Clint Hurdle's office for his exit interview last season, he heard the warning: The sophomore slump is real.
General manager Neal Huntington has often mentioned the second-year slide many players encounter. Typically, Huntington says, it comes about one of two ways. Some players, having come so far to reach the Majors and succeed at a high level, think they've finally arrived and let down their guard. The others, working to stay a step ahead of the league, try so hard to improve that they get away from what made them successful in the first place.