Taylor Ward

Ward followed a breakthrough 2018 minor-league season with another stellar campaign last year, slashing .306/.427/.584 with 27 home runs and 11 stolen bases for Triple-A Salt Lake. His hot bat resulted in five separate callups to the big club, but shoddy defense and poor offense kept each stint prior to September roster expansion brief. Ward was eventually moved to left field and finally appeared comfortable defensively, but his offense never came around at the major-league level. His primary issue was simply making contact as he registered a putrid 47.9 K% in 48 big-league plate appearances. Ward hit the ball hard when he did manage to put bat to ball and has always been adept at drawing walks, but neither stat matters if his strikeout issues persist. This could be a make-or-break year for Ward as he has little left to prove at the minor-league level.

They say it takes catchers longer to materialize at the plate, so perhaps the change to third base is what helped Ward take off at the plate last year. Playing in both the Southern and Pacific Coast League last season, Ward hit .349/.446/.531 with 14 homers and 18 steals before his late promotion to the big-league level. Major-league pitching was more of a struggle for him. You should be fully prepared for him to have another tour around the PCL unless the Angels move Zack Cozart to second base and give the job to Ward. The fact they traded for Tommy La Stella in the offseason points to them looking at a platoon situation at second base and giving Ward more time to work on his transition from catcher to third and continue to work on his swing as last year's numbers do not match up well to the consensus grades scouts have given him.

The Angels surprised many when they selected Ward with the 26th overall pick in the 2015 draft, but the early returns on the catcher out of Fresno State have been excellent. Ward slashed .348/.457/.438 with three home runs and six steals (on nine attempts) in 56 games across rookie ball and Low-A. This came as a very pleasant surprise, as Ward was touted for his plus arm behind the plate and the bat was supposed to lag behind the rest of the profile. Entering his age-22 season, Ward could actually move relatively fast for a catcher, as he has not yet shown any weaknesses. He will probably start the year back at Low-A, but could quickly receive a promotion to High-A if he continues to show an advanced approach at the plate.