What do you expect from Taylor Ward next year?

[Inside Pitch]

45 minutes ago, m0nkey said:

I'll be the first to say I didn't watch most Angel games and have this is wrong, but Baseball Savant has him in the 79th percentile for sprint speed, and 69th for outs above average (nice).  Don't think that qualifies as slow.

 

For the question, I think we would be ecstatic if he turns out to be a quality regular in the long run and 2022 wasn't a fluke.

Other than his K rate, he was above average in pretty much every category.  I wish he'd had been given more at bats the previous year, because the areas they did measure last season were also all above league average.

[T.G.]

I expect Ward to hit 45-50 dingers, steal 40+ bases, cure cancer and host SNL to a record viewing audience.

[Taylor]

2 hours ago, T.G. said:

I expect Ward to hit 45-50 dingers, steal 40+ bases, cure cancer and host SNL to a record viewing audience.

While blindfolded.

[Jason]

I expect shear greatness 

[Taylor]

18 minutes ago, Jason said:

I expect shear greatness 

[Jason]

7 minutes ago, Taylor said:

This scene had some beastiality innuendos

[Angelsjunky]

11 hours ago, Taylor said:

What happens next?

[Taylor]

49 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

What happens next?

I don't know, but it seems Jason does.

12 hours ago, Jason said:

This scene had some beastiality innuendos

 

[Angelsjunky]

4 hours ago, Taylor said:

I don't know, but it seems Jason does.

 

[ukyah]

i think it makes a huge difference that he got back to being the top 5 hitter thing at the end of the year. it's one thing to get really hot as a hitter. it happens all the time. we saw it with walsh, but for him to get totally derailed by injury, then to heal and get back to what he was doing? that's why i'm bullish

[eligrba4ever]

I expect Ward to launch like Superman, then 35 games in he has an owie (arm, leg, shoulder) that stops him cold from, say, early June until late July. Then a cold stretch until he regains his batting stroke. He finishes strong but misses one-fourth to one-third of the season,

[Taylor]

3 hours ago, eligrba4ever said:

I expect Ward to launch like Superman, then 35 games in he has an owie (arm, leg, shoulder) that stops him cold from, say, early June until late July. Then a cold stretch until he regains his batting stroke. He finishes strong but misses one-fourth to one-third of the season,

So an exact repeat of 2022?

[Ace-Of-Diamonds]

Big things, l expect BIG THINGS, but maybe that's why l'm disappointed year after year after year...

[CaliAngel]

Ward is still afraid of that wall, you could see it in the way he played after the injury. Don't expect to see him laying out for anything close, he plays it safe now, and lets singles fall for doubles over his head. Which is a big bummer. 

Might be able to pick it up with the bat, but really, we've all seen this before. Should we really gamble on him to come through? 

I don't expect much from him. Another Angel ruined by a freak accident. 

[Stradling]

He was so ruined he came back with a .972 OPS in September/October. 

[Warfarin]

He had a fantastic start, a fantastic finish, and a poor middle of the season (perhaps/likely due to injury).  

I don't think his strong performance was a fluke, in that it looks like it was fueled by elite plate discipline.  If he can remain healthy .. it's possible we could have multiple stars in this lineup (Trout, Ohtani, Ward .. hard to count on Rendon until he can show he's healthy).

[angelsnationtalk]

Trout, Adell, Moniak, Ward for next year and Bowden still says we need OF help. 

Who gets traded?

[BTH]

1 hour ago, angelsnationtalk said:

Trout, Adell, Moniak, Ward for next year and Bowden still says we need OF help. 

Who gets traded?

No one.

Adell and Moniak both have options and have shown no staying power in the majors.

Outside addition in LF, Trout in CF, Ward in RF.

[ThisismineScios]

I think Moniak is a good 4th OF. If he turns into more, great. Otherwise he's solid depth. Or you play him and Adell in AAA every day. 

I really think Adell is getting traded. Maybe not, but I think the writing is on the wall. Angels were able to get a good return on Marsh. If Adell can net them a future starter and Top 120ish prospect, I think you do it. His hitting and athletic tools are better than Marsh. 

[BTH]

27 minutes ago, ThisismineScios said:

I think Moniak is a good 4th OF. If he turns into more, great. Otherwise he's solid depth. Or you play him and Adell in AAA every day. 

I really think Adell is getting traded. Maybe not, but I think the writing is on the wall. Angels were able to get a good return on Marsh. If Adell can net them a future starter and Top 120ish prospect, I think you do it. His hitting and athletic tools are better than Marsh. 

Moniak provides speed and defense. His bat is a zero.

Is that really a good 4th OF?

I’m skeptical that Adell has much value. I don’t know who’d give up a future starter and top 120ish prospect for him.

[ThisismineScios]

19 minutes ago, Trendon said:

Moniak provides speed and defense. His bat is a zero.

Is that really a good 4th OF?

I’m skeptical that Adell has much value. I don’t know who’d give up a future starter and top 120ish prospect for him.

I mean these as combined traits--O'Hoppe is a future starter and a Top 100 prospect. I am implying 1 player of the same mold. The Phillies gave up an elite catching prospect (premium position) who was a consensus Top 100 guy for Marsh. Marsh, who was essentially leading the league in K% and had stopped walking with a .620 OPS. Sure they may have seen something, but they were trading for his pedigree, not his performance. Guarantee a team out there feels the same way about Adell.  

[BTH]

1 minute ago, ThisismineScios said:

I mean these as combined traits--O'Hoppe is a future starter and a Top 100 prospect. I am implying 1 player of the same mold. The Phillies gave up an elite catching prospect (premium position) who was a consensus Top 100 guy for Marsh. Marsh, who was essentially leading the league in K% and had stopped walking with a .620 OPS. Sure they may have seen something, but they were trading for his pedigree, not his performance. Guarantee a team out there feels the same way about Adell.  

At the very least, Marsh’s floor was a good defensive CF in the Kiermaier mold. Even if he couldn’t hit. That’s a 1.5-2 WAR player.

Adell’s floor is a player who can’t hit or provide much defensive value. That’s a 0 or negative WAR player.

[aznhockeyguy]

I expect Ward to have a .800 OPS and worth about 3 WAR, hitting 20 HRs and walking around 10% of the time.  He's due for some regression with the .325 BABIP from this past season, but Ward has a solid understanding of the strike zone and strikes out less than the average MLBer, and should be able to put up solid numbers next season.   

[Warfarin]

5 hours ago, Trendon said:

At the very least, Marsh’s floor was a good defensive CF in the Kiermaier mold. Even if he couldn’t hit. That’s a 1.5-2 WAR player.

Adell’s floor is a player who can’t hit or provide much defensive value. That’s a 0 or negative WAR player.

Bingo.  I think Marsh's floor is way higher than Adell's, which is why he could fetch a good prospect in O'Hoppe.  Even if Marsh struggles to hit, he's a solid defensive CF, which holds value in this league.  Adell is a poor defender who, at times, has flirted with a 40% K rate and virtually never walks.  This is why Marsh could get a lot more in a trade than Adell currently can.

I would assume, if we acquire an OF, Moniak will remain as the 4th OF, with Adell going back to AAA.

[ThisismineScios]

16 hours ago, Warfarin said:

Bingo.  I think Marsh's floor is way higher than Adell's, which is why he could fetch a good prospect in O'Hoppe.  Even if Marsh struggles to hit, he's a solid defensive CF, which holds value in this league.  Adell is a poor defender who, at times, has flirted with a 40% K rate and virtually never walks.  This is why Marsh could get a lot more in a trade than Adell currently can.

I would assume, if we acquire an OF, Moniak will remain as the 4th OF, with Adell going back to AAA.

While I agree with both of you, I believe there are several teams out there (of the Pirates/Tigers mold) that would value his upside enough to send back a starter. Not worth arguing though. I think it more likely that he is part of a package with 1-2 other guys.