AngelsWin.com Top 30 Prospects: #4 C Taylor Ward

[AngelsWin.com]

Prospect: Taylor Ward                                Rank: 4

2015/16: 1                                                     Position(s): Catcher

Level: Rookie Ball                                        Age: Entering Age 23 season in 2017.

Height: 6’1”                                                  Weight: 190 lb.

               Present – Future

Hitting Ability            40  50

Power                      50  55

Base Running          40  40

Patience                   45  50

Fielding                    50  60

Range                       50  60

Arm                           70  70

Overall                      45  55

 

Floor: Defensive specialist/back up catcher in MLB. 

Ceiling: All-star caliber catcher that is capable of winning multiple gold gloves and hitting for considerable power.

Likely Outcome: Platoon catcher with good defensive and solid power.

Summary: The Angels were certainly an excited bunch when they had the opportunity to draft Ward, despite the rest of the baseball world scratching their head, trying to figure out just what the Angels saw in Ward.  Taylor was a very good defender in college at Fresno State, and as he grew older and filled out, the power began to come into into play.  While most of baseball rated Ward as a 2nd or 3rd round pick that may become a backup catcher in the major leagues, the Angels felt they’d landed a future star backstop.  During his first taste of pro ball, Ward lit the world on fire, and larger audiences began to take notice of Ward.  He was sent to Inland Empire this year, and we really got a handle on who Ward actually is as a player.

His game calling and defense weren’t quite as good as previously believed, though the arm is unquestionably strong.  Offensively, Ward had no timing whatsoever in the first half of the season, and appeared destined to be a Jeff Mathis type of backup catcher, which is something many Angels fans feared when they selected Ward in the first round.  Then the second half of the season came, and Ward made an adjustment with his stance and timing mechanism.  The end result was a batting average 50 points higher and nine of his ten homers hit in a matter of 63 games, leading many to believe that Ward could end up hitting 20+ homers a year.

It’s also important to note that Ward’s home field in San Bernardino was the only pitching friendly park in the Cal League.  At home, he hit a meager .187.  On the road, he hit .304.  Upon arriving in Arizona for the heralded Fall League showcase, scouts raved over Ward’s ability to hit the ball with authority and “howitzer” arm.  Clearly, there’s something here to work with.  Until Ward can put it together for a longer stretch of time, scouts will remain skeptical, but putting up numbers in the Texas League could go a long way in silencing those pesky critics.

What to expect next season: Ward will be ticketed for AA Mobile.  The game tends to speed up considerably when reaching the high minors.  I won’t be paying attention to Ward’s offensive or power output as much as I’ll be focusing on his defensive progression.  The Southern League and Hank Aaron Stadium are both generally unfriendly toward the long ball, so I don’t expect Ward to do much to impress the box score checkers. But it’s his defense that will get Ward to the major leagues, and most scouts agree that he is a major league quality catcher.  The big thing to take away here is that Ward has considerably more growth needed in order to reach his potential.  He isn’t as polished as many collegiate players.  So Ward’s path to the major leagues likely won’t be a quick ascension as much as it will be a slow progression.

Estimated Time of Arrival: 2019, as a 25 year old.

Grade as a prospect: B-

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[Dtwncbad]

I don't see Ward as an impact player.  I don't get very excited about prospects who are great bets to be major leaguers but not very likely to be high impact major leaguers.

Example: Derek Norris is so easily attainable right now.  I doubt Ward will be a better player than Norris.  So other than saving a couple of bucks in controlling years of a young player, why should I be excited to follow Ward on his (looks like) path to mediocrity?

[eaterfan]

52 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

I don't see Ward as an impact player.  I don't get very excited about prospects who are great bets to be major leaguers but not very likely to be high impact major leaguers.

Example: Derek Norris is so easily attainable right now.  I doubt Ward will be a better player than Norris.  So other than saving a couple of bucks in controlling years of a young player, why should I be excited to follow Ward on his (looks like) path to mediocrity?

100% with you on this. I'd be thrilled if he became Derek Norris. And with Mike Trout if every player on our team played as well as Norris we'd be contenders. I just think peak Norris isn't a very likely outcome for Ward. I think he ends up more like a Perez, Mathis, or Conger.

[Jig Stew]

You could've just put a picture of Mathis up there and we wouldn't have known the difference 

[Second Base]

Ward will likely be similar to Chris Iannetta. He has a better arm than Chris, and his actions are quicker, but Chris was more intuitive and a better pitch blocker. At the plate, Ward should have Iannetta's power, though likely with less plate discipline. 

The end result is about the same though. Simply a platoon catcher. Ward was just one of those Dipoto era picks. He's a safe bet to be a major leaguer in some capacity, but lacks the upside to be an all star.

It'll be interesting to see if Ward will get on a more strict training and lifting regimen. If he does, he should fill out more, and what's already an average or above average power ability may become something more considerable.

[Hubs]

Yeah, I think Ward is still going strong. He struggled a tiny bit in the Cal league and people are ready to write him off as a platoon or future backup? He's at minimum Chris Iannetta, but I think while he won't be Buster Posey or Salvador Perez, he'll at least be in the Jonathan Lucroy mold. 

His numbers were all over the place in 2016, but in 2017 in AA and probably a bit of time at AAA too, he'll be better. And if he hit's .300 people will get excited again.

Future 30 HR hitting catchers even if they hit .240, aren't a bad thing to have. Especially solid defensive future 30 HR catchers.

[eaterfan]

8 minutes ago, Hubs said:

Yeah, I think Ward is still going strong. He struggled a tiny bit in the Cal league and people are ready to write him off as a platoon or future backup? He's at minimum Chris Iannetta, but I think while he won't be Buster Posey or Salvador Perez, he'll at least be in the Jonathan Lucroy mold. 

His numbers were all over the place in 2016, but in 2017 in AA and probably a bit of time at AAA too, he'll be better. And if he hit's .300 people will get excited again.

Future 30 HR hitting catchers even if they hit .240, aren't a bad thing to have. Especially solid defensive future 30 HR catchers.

I think that's a really really rosy projection. For much of his peak Ianetta averaged a little over 2 WAR per season. He was basically a sure thing for a .330 OBP and even had a couple seasons at .370+. He has a career 99 OPS+. As for hitting 30 HRs, look at Trumbo's HR #s with the Angels. I don't think Ward has nearly that much pop in his bat. 

Obviously, Ward will be a better defender, but as organizations learn to teach framing the difference in defensive value between all catchers will shrink. I'd be very happy with Ward if he were Ianetta but calling that a floor seems too optimistic IMO.

[Hubs]

Yeah ok, not his floor but say his lower midrange projection will be Chris Iannetta, and Lucroy-lite but defensively better being his optimistic midrange projection. Obviously the dude could break out and end up being Joe Mauer. OR he could flop and end up being Bobby Wilson.

Bottom line is we can all estimate where he's going to end up but until he's had several years in the organization and several years in the majors we don't know where he'll be.

[Jig Stew]

8 hours ago, Hubs said:

Obviously the dude could break out and end up being Joe Mauer. OR he could flop and end up being Bobby Wilson

So if he's not as good as Mauer & better than Wilson would that make him a Sal Fasano??

[Second Base]

I think being a good defensive catcher that hits 25 HR a year is his ceiling, and that in I tself would a hit the lottery type of outcome. 

I think him being a solid member of our catching contingent for a solid 5+ years is the outcome here. That has value.

[Dtwncbad]

25 homers? There were two catchers in all of baseball to hit 25 or more last year.

Only one did it in 2015.

I don't think Ward's bat is that special to even remotely think he will project to that level.

Double digit homers for him would be quite an achievement.

[Tank]

3 hours ago, Jig Stew said:

You could've just put a picture of Mathis up there and we wouldn't have known the difference 

boy, that was the first thing i thought of when seeing his picture on the home page. no doubt he'll be our catcher for the next decade.

[Second Base]

If I am just throwing out numbers, I think on a yearly basis you're looking at 80 games .240 batting average, 10 HR and graded above average defense.

Not a star. Over a full season he'd be halfway decent, but the Angels, or more specifically Scioscia prefers to platoon his catchers. I don't disagree with that. 162 game season can really take it out of someone doing 200 airsquats a night. 

120 games is probably the most I'd play any catcher. That's why you see the Giants put Posey at 1B whoever he isn't behind the plate. Keep the. At in the lineup, save the body.

[Brent Maguire]

I'm not a big fan of Ward until he proves himself. Personally, he's in the 10-15 range of prospects for me. I think the arm is very special but I fear he might be similar to Carlos Perez with slightly more power. I think he's likely a .220/.280/.330 type bat in the majors who throws out runners to keep him in a backup role. The swing doesn't produce enough pop, his approach at the plate isn't strong and he even struggles with framing and blocking pitches. 

Of course, catchers generally follow a non-linear path and are sometimes unpredictable. I hope I have to eat crow on him because a badass defensive catcher with some offensive ability would be very nice to have down the road. 

[Jig Stew]

3 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

I think being a good defensive catcher that hits 25 HR a year is his ceiling, and that in I tself would a hit the lottery type of outcome. 

I think him being a solid member of our catching contingent for a solid 5+ years is the outcome here. That has value.

Scotty if this dude hits 25 homers in a single year for the Angels I'm so taking you out to a Super Fancy, High End, Spectacular Steak Dinner at the Sizzler

[eligrba]

How well does Ward throw to first when a runner is stealing second?

[Inside Pitch]

2 hours ago, Angels_Baseball said:

Of course, catchers generally follow a non-linear path and are sometimes unpredictable. 

Truest words ever...

[Second Base]

Very true indeed. Let's keep in mind, scouts loved this guys power he showed during BP during the AFL. I'm not saying it transfers, and I'm not saying he's the next Jon Lucroy. I'm saying that since power is typically the final tool to manifest itself, and Ward is still very wiry, chances are his body is going to mature, and if he starts weight training, you may end up seeing Ward hit for some eye brow raising power for a catcher.

That's too many ifs for me. I'm sticking by my original Chris Iannetta comparison. Different tools, but the final product should be of equal value.

I think Ward's season caused a fair bit of opinion regarding who he is as a player. If you believe his face rat half is who he is, then he won't be a major leaguer. If you buy his second half, you can have visions of Lucroy. If you think his home production is reflective, then he'll never make it beyond AA, if you buy the road stats, then he's a star.

For me, I think he was suppressed by his park at home, inflated by his park away. But the adjustment he made in the second half was real and lasting in my opinion

[Docwaukee]

I think 2017 will tell us a lot of what we need to know about Ward's future with the halos.  That doesn't mean he won't be an everyday C at some point, but this year  and how he performs with the bat will give us a clue as to whether it will play going forward.  If I had to guess, I would be surprised if his bat will ever be starter level.  But I think there is an outside chance that something clicked in his last 100 at bats last year and his AA season is more of the same.  The floor for his bat is that he'll walk at a greater than 10% rate and not k a ton.  But the power translating to actual games will determine whether everything.  

[tdawg87]

Is he a gamer? Does he have grit?

How low can he squat? 

These are the only important questions.

[ettin]

5 hours ago, Jig Stew said:

Scotty if this dude hits 25 homers in a single year for the Angels I'm so taking you out to a Super Fancy, High End, Spectacular Steak Dinner at the Sizzler

"We're goin' to Sizzler! We're goin' to Sizzler!"

[Angelsjunky]

It is hard to feel excited about this guy and even a big cognitively dissonant to see him ranked behind Marsh and Nonie, both of whom have much higher upside but also greater bust potential. But let's say it is like this:

WARD

Star: 10%

Quality Regular: 40%

Platoon/Bench: 40%

Bust: 10%

 

MARSH/NONIE

Star: 20%

Quality Regular: 20%

Platoon/Bench: 20%

Bust: 40%

I guess I just am more excited about the Marsh/Nonie profile and would rate them higher.

[Angel Oracle]

If indeed drafting Ward also gave them enough above slot money to sign Jam Jones, then it's all good.

[Second Base]

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

It is hard to feel excited about this guy and even a big cognitively dissonant to see him ranked behind Marsh and Nonie, both of whom have much higher upside but also greater bust potential. But let's say it is like this:

WARD

Star: 10%

Quality Regular: 40%

Platoon/Bench: 40%

Bust: 10%

 

MARSH/NONIE

Star: 20%

Quality Regular: 20%

Platoon/Bench: 20%

Bust: 40%

I guess I just am more excited about the Marsh/Nonie profile and would rate them higher.

Let's keep in mind, this was a list that was voted on from multiple people at AW, which gives me the unique opportunity to shift the blame whenever it's convenient.

Watd was the top prospect a year ago, and was quite good upon being drafted. His swing was out of whack to start the year, and we realized that despite the arm and athleticism, game calling and blocking the ball were unexpected weaknesses.

But we also saw in the second half that Ward made the adjustment at the plate, and proved that when he's comfortable at the plate, he can do a ton of damage. He's borderline dangerous. And, he got his blocking under control and started implementing a game plan behind the plate better than before.

We sent him to the AFL, where he served as a backup catcher. His bat was solid in limited action, and the power outburst we saw in the second half was legitimized by scouts.

So what you're seeing here is a catcher that has turned the corner offensively, but is still struggling defensively. HE'll hit when he's in the lineup. Not at an all-star level, but he'll probably hit as much as Bandy did. But defensively, he'll have his holes. He'll control the run game with his arm, but Scioscia will call his pitches and think for him, and he'll be susceptible to passes balls and wild pitches.

[eaterfan]

1 hour ago, Angelsjunky said:

It is hard to feel excited about this guy and even a big cognitively dissonant to see him ranked behind Marsh and Nonie, both of whom have much higher upside but also greater bust potential. But let's say it is like this:

WARD

Star: 10%

Quality Regular: 40%

Platoon/Bench: 40%

Bust: 10%

 

MARSH/NONIE

Star: 20%

Quality Regular: 20%

Platoon/Bench: 20%

Bust: 40%

I guess I just am more excited about the Marsh/Nonie profile and would rate them higher.

I guess for me it depends on what your definition of "star" and "quality regular" are. If we're talking a 4+ win player vs. a 2 win player I'll take the 20%/20% guy. If we're talking a 4 win player vs. a 3 win player I'll take the 10%/40% guy. As was pointed out, two win catchers like Weiters and Norris hit the market. 4+ win guys are hard to come by.