OC Register: Angels’ Taylor Ward quietly vying for starting outfield job

[AngelsWin.com]

TEMPE, Ariz. — The public discourse about the Angels outfield has mostly focused on whether Mike Trout should play center, just how the Angels will handle aging Justin Upton and whether Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh are poised for a breakout season.

And then, there’s Taylor Ward.

Little has been said about Ward, which is not at all an indication of the way the Angels think about him.

Manager Joe Maddon said this week that Ward is fully in the mix for an everyday outfield job.

“He’s a good outfielder,” Maddon said. “He’s a guy who plays all three really well. I would be comfortable if he starts (at any outfield spot).”

It’s also worth noting that Ward’s .769 OPS in 2021 was significantly higher than Upton (.705), Adell (.703) and Marsh (.673). Although he may not have the power and offensive upside of Adell, or the pure defense and speed of Marsh, he is essentially a much more polished combination of the two.

Ward was one of the Angels’ most coveted players in trade talks over the winter, a source said.

“He’s improved in every area,” Maddon said. “He’s always been this minor-league guy that everybody likes and it was always potential attached to him. I think we’re getting to the point now you’re gonna see realization of potential.”

Ward, 28, was the Angels’ first-round pick in 2015 as a catcher. His career stalled because he didn’t perform well offensively or defensively, so the Angels moved him from behind the plate at the start of the 2018 season. After Ward moved to third, he was free of the mental and physical demands of catching, and his offensive game blossomed.

In the years since, the Angels realized his best position was in the outfield, and Ward has made himself a better than average outfielder. He’s also improved at the plate, lifting his OPS in each season.

“I’m really trying to clean up things that I didn’t do very well last year, trying to implement those,” Ward said. “Offensively, I want to say right there. Defensively, there’s little things here and there that I’m cleaning up. So far, so good. Just keep it rolling.”

Ward said the last hurdle for him are some mental elements of the game.

“Just thinking ahead situations in the outfield, on the bases,” he said. “Offensively, that’s perfectly fine. I go into the box with a mindset and just stick with it.”

Ward could fit on the Opening Day roster as the starter in one of the corners, or as an extra outfielder. It’s possible they could keep five outfielders, which would include Marsh, Adell and Ward. All three can be optioned, too.

Ward and Upton have both been working out at first base, so either of them could also see some action spelling Jared Walsh against tough left-handed pitchers.

PITCHING PLANS

Maddon said he will announce his Opening Day starter Thursday, but in the meantime the Angels have set their upcoming spring training rotation, which leaves little question about what their plan is for the season.

Starting on Saturday, the Angels will have Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Sandoval, Noah Syndergaard, José Suarez and Michael Lorenzen pitch, in that order. The No. 6 spot remains a competition among Reid Detmers, Janson Junk and Jaime Barria. All three are scheduled to pitch Friday, with Junk and Barria working in the Cactus League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detmers pitching against the Diamondbacks in a B game on Friday morning.

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NOTES

Mike Trout was set to leave Angels camp Thursday to attend a funeral. Trout is expected to return Saturday, although it was uncertain if he’d return to game action Saturday or Sunday. …

Catcher Kurt Suzuki said he’s scheduled for his Cactus League debut Friday. Suzuki signed just before camp opened.

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[stormngt]

If Ward is pursued by others for trade then for God's sake trade him!  He can't have Trout and keep Ward, Marsh or Adell.

[Dtwncbad]

44 minutes ago, AngelsWin.com said:

Ward was one of the Angels’ most coveted players in trade talks over the winter, a source said.

[Revad]

A few years ago I said we’d be laughing at ourselves if Walsh and Ward turned out better than Adell and Marsh.  Could still happen that way.

Edited March 24, 2022 by Revad

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, Dtwncbad said:

I think the source was Taylor Ward's mom.

 

Or Jerry Dipoto.

[tdawg87]

If Ward wins a starting outfield job something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

[Dtwncbad]

Ward’s name has probably come up in EVERY trade talk over the last year as the throw in.  That’s not the same as being “coveted.”

[Hubs]

He hit better than Adell, Upton, and Marsh last year and plays a passable OF.

For the record, I have been calling him breaking out for a few years now...once he was moved off C he's been a legit offensive machine in the minors. Sometimes it takes a few years to get settled in the majors, especially when you're going up and down. 

I wonder how many have you would have been pissed had the Pederson Stripling trade gone through and then we saw Ward dominate in the majors for the Dodgers.

[Angelsjunky]

Taylor Ward for Julio Urias. Make it happen, Stoneman.

[Dtwncbad]

49 minutes ago, Hubs said:

He hit better than Adell, Upton, and Marsh last year and plays a passable OF.

For the record, I have been calling him breaking out for a few years now...once he was moved off C he's been a legit offensive machine in the minors. Sometimes it takes a few years to get settled in the majors, especially when you're going up and down. 

I wonder how many have you would have been pissed had the Pederson Stripling trade gone through and then we saw Ward dominate in the majors for the Dodgers.

Ward is never going to “dominate” in the majors.

[Make Angels Great Again]

I think that Ward has the potential to be an .800+ ops guy when starting full time.

That's not nothing.

[IheartLA]

When I said this last week the board had a meltdown

[HanfordGuy]

5 hours ago, AngelsWin.com said:

I’m really trying to clean up things

[Taylor]

34 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

Ward is never going to “dominate” in the majors.

I'm really glad you said this. Your bold predictions often turn out wrong, so this is good news for Ward and the Angels.

[Dtwncbad]

45 minutes ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

I think that Ward has the potential to be an .800+ ops guy when starting full time.

That's not nothing.

Agree.  He can probably hold down the fort for some length of time.  I just commented on the word “dominate.”   I don’t see him dominating.

[greginpsca]

I still think he will be a backup of'er, and possibly a platoon at first with Walsh.

[totdprods]

1 hour ago, Make Angels Great Again said:

I think that Ward has the potential to be an .800+ ops guy when starting full time.

That's not nothing.

I think this is very much in reach. He has decent plate discipline and ability to take walks, and has shown improvement in making contact recent years. Add that to the 15-20 HR power he’s also safely had, maybe tack 5-10 more, he could be a .260/.340/.450 guy relatively easily. If his defense holds at multiple positions that’s easily a 2-3 WAR guy with enough playing time, and super valuable.

[Angels 1961]

2 hours ago, Hubs said:

He hit better than Adell, Upton, and Marsh last year and plays a passable OF.

For the record, I have been calling him breaking out for a few years now...once he was moved off C he's been a legit offensive machine in the minors. Sometimes it takes a few years to get settled in the majors, especially when you're going up and down. 

I wonder how many have you would have been pissed had the Pederson Stripling trade gone through and then we saw Ward dominate in the majors for the Dodgers.

I agree I think Taylor Ward has improved and could win an starting job in OF. Marsh and Adell made need more seasoning. Look at his numbers from last year.

[Angelsjunky]

Yeah, I'm not buying the "coveted" part. At most, a few teams are asking for him as a throw-in and the Angels are trying to sell him as a legit piece and no one's buying it. 

Anyhow, I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I could see Ward being a solidly valuable complementary player: An above average hitter (110-120 wRC+) who contributes 1-2 WAR in half a seasons worth of play, give or take. 

On the other, I think they need to go all-in on Marsh and Adell now. It is one thing to rotate them with Upton until Justin's legs fall off or he just can't hit, quite another to start Ward and send Marsh back to AAA.

Marsh needs to be on the team because he's the best outfielder among the lot and is the only guy other than Trout who can play CF well - and he's better than Trout. I really don't see him being worse than an average hitter this year, with greater upside going forward.

Adell has nothing more to prove in AAA and just needs major league playing time. I highly doubt he's not the starting RFer on Opening Day.

But these things tend to work themselves out. I have no idea how long a 28-man roster will last (assuming they go with that), but let's say a month. By then we should see if Marsh and Adell are ready, and what's left in the tank for Upton. So at that point, maybe Upton is benched and/or one of Marsh or Adell is sent down. So he's a good guy to have, but I don't want him keeping Marsh and Adell from getting at least a 75% share of an everyday role.

Or to put it another way, let's say the Angels have 30 days with 28-man rosters. I could see starts as follows:

LF Upton 10, Marsh 10, Trout 5, Ward 5

CF Trout 20, Marsh 10

RF Adell 25, Ward 5

1B Walsh 25, Upton 3, Ward 2

DH Ohtani 25, Upton 3, Trout 2

Total starts:

Trout 28, Ohtani 25, Adell 25, Marsh 20, Upton 16, Ward 12

Or something like that, plus or minus a few starts for each.

[DMVol]

Ward has some infield experience at 3b, Upton not so much….think getting some AB’s at 1b might have some potential….if he hits when he gets his chances….

[Lou]

4 minutes ago, DMVol said:

Ward has some infield experience at 3b

and he sucked 

[DMVol]

10 minutes ago, Lou said:

and he sucked 

1b easier than 3b….and I still think he would be better than Upton, who is godawful in the OF….

[HaloBronco]

I'd rather have Ward on the bench than Upton. 

[Angelsjunky]

8 minutes ago, HaloBronco said:

I'd rather have Ward on the bench than Upton. 

Me too.

[Angels 1961]

53 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Yeah, I'm not buying the "coveted" part. At most, a few teams are asking for him as a throw-in and the Angels are trying to sell him as a legit piece and no one's buying it. 

Anyhow, I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I could see Ward being a solidly valuable complementary player: An above average hitter (110-120 wRC+) who contributes 1-2 WAR in half a seasons worth of play, give or take. 

On the other, I think they need to go all-in on Marsh and Adell now. It is one thing to rotate them with Upton until Justin's legs fall off or he just can't hit, quite another to start Ward and send Marsh back to AAA.

Marsh needs to be on the team because he's the best outfielder among the lot and is the only guy other than Trout who can play CF well - and he's better than Trout. I really don't see him being worse than an average hitter this year, with greater upside going forward.

Adell has nothing more to prove in AAA and just needs major league playing time. I highly doubt he's not the starting RFer on Opening Day.

But these things tend to work themselves out. I have no idea how long a 28-man roster will last (assuming they go with that), but let's say a month. By then we should see if Marsh and Adell are ready, and what's left in the tank for Upton. So at that point, maybe Upton is benched and/or one of Marsh or Adell is sent down. So he's a good guy to have, but I don't want him keeping Marsh and Adell from getting at least a 75% share of an everyday role.

Or to put it another way, let's say the Angels have 30 days with 28-man rosters. I could see starts as follows:

LF Upton 10, Marsh 10, Trout 5, Ward 5

CF Trout 20, Marsh 10

RF Adell 25, Ward 5

1B Walsh 25, Upton 3, Ward 2

DH Ohtani 25, Upton 3, Trout 2

Total starts:

Trout 28, Ohtani 25, Adell 25, Marsh 20, Upton 16, Ward 12

Or something like that, plus or minus a few starts for each.

Marsh needs to cut down on his strikeouts. Have yet to see Upton at 1B this spring. Ward is out of options so unless he's traded he staying. Injuries happen so nice to have depth in many positions. It's a long season.