By JIM BUTLER

By the time he was 12 William Taylor in centerfield was like a deer with a Rawlings.

By the time he was 15 he had left the Alexandria Youth Baseball Association and was singing Credence Clearwater to the ASH staff — “put me in Coach, I can play centerfield.”

Indeed.

By the time he was 17 Taylor was scouted regularly by Major League Baseball talent hunters.

That scouting resulted in the San Diego Padres making Will their second selection in that year’s MLB draft, the 39th overall pick.

(Some perspective: a guy from Auburn was the 105th pick — Bo Jackson.) Like most of those selected every year, Taylor never made the bigs. Even a transition from right-handed batting to switch hitting was not enough for his speed to carry him to the majors.

Today, he’s in custody in Rapides, accused of unauthorized entry of a place of business.

Taylor, 55, was booked just after midnight Thursday. No bail had been set through Sunday evening.

The charge, if proved, carries a penalty of up to $1,000 fine or up to six years with or without hard labor or both.