SALT LAKE CITY — Taylor Cole spent the waning moments of the Salt Lake Bees’ washed out batting practice watching his teammate John Lamb toss a baseball off the bullpen mound in front of him.

The sun tried to peek out from dark nimbus clouds overhead, but most of the players had left 30 minutes prior when a field crew rolled a large tarp over the Smith’s Ballpark infield diamond.

Some remained on the outfield to stretch and throw, but Cole stuck around until the last pitch was in, soaking in lessons taught during this bullpen session and, perhaps, soaking in the scenes he figured he’d never see again.

For Cole, Monday was his official return to Utah at a time he didn’t expect he’d return. However, that has been his career story in a way. Baseball has brought him back to familiar places he didn’t expect to return to.

“I lived here every offseason for the last six years,” he said of the state, noting he’d work out with the BYU baseball time during that time. “This is like a second home.”

However, he and his wife Madilyn left this winter after she wrapped up her college education. They loved their time in Utah, but they decided it was time to move on, relocating to Las Vegas — a place where Cole lived as a teenager — this winter.

Months later, he’s back. The Los Angeles Angels signed Cole to a minor league deal on March 5, immediately sending him to the team’s Triple-A affiliate, Salt Lake.

It’s another twist in his professional baseball career, which began as a 29th round pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.

A humbling game

Cole was stunned when the Toronto Blue Jays selected him with the 889th overall pick during that draft. He had just finished his first season at BYU after serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Toronto of all places.

He spent the ensuing six years trying to return to Toronto, beginning as a starting pitcher and ultimately becoming a reliever. The hard work paid off last season when the Blue Jays called him up in August. He made his debut on Aug. 9, 2017, but the fairy tale dream quickly turned into a nightmare.

The Blue Jays trailed the New York Yankees 6-5 with one out recorded in the eighth inning when the bullpen phone finally rang for Cole. He recalls starting off strong against his first batter, Garrett Cooper, but it unraveled from there.

“I just remember it going really good," he said, reflecting on the game. "I was making pitches and then I didn’t finish them off. I left the ball up and he got a double and it just started to speed up on you.”

Ronald Torreyes singled in a pair of runs after Cooper’s double. Cole settled down a bit from there, having his first recorded big league out when Torreyes got thrown out at home plate. He then struck out 2017 Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge to end the inning.

He returned for the ninth inning, where Didi Gregorius led off with an innocent-looking infield single. Gary Sanchez singled afterward. Cole then hit Todd Frazier to load the bases. After Jacoby Ellsbury plated a run with a groundout, Cooper singled in a pair of runs and Cole’s night — and Blue Jays tenure — was done.

He left the game allowing four runs on six hits, with a walk and the strikeout. The Blue Jays placed him on the disabled list after the game because of an injury and released him shortly after.

Dejected, Cole knew to keep his career going meant he had to reset his goals and look past that moment. He also knew he could learn from his experience.

“The game is humbling, man,” he said, shaking his head. “I took the approach one day at a time and just focus on being in the present and I continually try to do that. When I got released, it was obviously something I didn’t want to happen, but for me, I had to accept the fact that it did happen and just re-evaluate what I need to do to get back (to the majors).”

Returning ‘home’

Cole didn’t just work out with the BYU baseball team, he taught them what he had learned from the minor leagues all the way to the time he cracked the majors. He also instructed high school kids in his off time.

When he and his wife moved south to Las Vegas, Cole said he remembers thinking he’d miss Utah. Then a free agent, he didn’t expect one of the teams he grew up watching would evidently send him back to Utah to start the 2018 season. However, it’s a familiar place he’s excited to return to.

“I’ve got a lot of friends that are out here,” he said, adding he can’t wait to show Utah’s high school players the lessons he’s taught them in an actual game scenario.

He’ll open this season in the Bees’ bullpen, where manager Keith Johnson said Cole and his fastball will mix in well with the other arms on the roster.

“From what I saw, it was crisp,” Johnson said.

In another twist, Cole’s new baseball opportunity could also lead him back to where his dream of making the majors all began. The Simi Valley, California native, Cole grew up watching the Angels and Dodgers.

He’s now a step away from playing baseball in southern California. However, he’s no longer nervous about what the big leagues will look like this time around. He’s also aware now how quickly that dream can turn into a horror story.

While returning to Major League Baseball remains his primary goal, he said he’ll take this season — and his return to Utah — one day and one pitch at a time.

“I heard something that you have to make every level your big leagues,” he said. “For me, that’s what this is.”

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