Taylor Ward

Joseph Taylor Ward

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 190 lb.
• School Fresno State University
• High School Shadow Hills High School
• Debut August 14, 2018

• Born December 14, 1993 in Dayton, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Taylor Ward was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 31st round of the 2012 amateur draft, but continued on to college. He was then drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 1st round of the 2015 amateur draft with the 26th pick, the final pick of the first round proper. Within a week, he had signed for a bonus of $1.67 million. He made his pro debut for the Orem Owlz on June 18th. He was a catcher when he was drafted, but would eventually be moved out of the position.

2018 proved to be an eventful year for Ward. He was moved to 3B and proceeded to slash .345/.453/.520 in 42 games for the AA Mobile BayBears. He was then moved up to the AAA Salt Lake Bees to begin June and slashed .352/.442/.537 in 60 games there. On August 13th it was reported that the Angels were giving him the call to the big leagues. He made his debut the next day, starting at third and batting seventh against the San Diego Padres. He went 2 for 3 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in a 7-3 win. Overall, he hit .178 in 40 games that season, and followed that by hitting .190 in 20 games.

He started contributing with the bat during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when he hit .277 in 34 games, although in only 94 at-bats. In 2021, he got his )_S+ above 100 for the first time, when he hit .250 in 65 games with 8 homers and 33 RBIs. In 2022, he had a terrific season as the team's regular right fielder, hitting .281 in 135 games, with 23 homers and 65 RBIs. He also scored 73 runs, his OBP was .360 and his OPS+ at 134.

On July 29, 2023, he suffered multiple facial fractures when hit by a pitch flush in the face when facing Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays. He had to undergo surgery and his season was over. He was the latest in a string of serious injuries suffered by Angels players that season. He was hitting .253 in 97 games at the time of the injury, with 14 homers and 47 RBIs, with an OPS+ of 105. He returned in 2024 to be one of the best hitters on a very poor Angels team, as he hit a personal best 25 homers, with 144 hits and 26 doubles in 156 games for an average of .246 and an OPS+ of 111.

Notable Achuevements

• 20-Home Run Seasons: 2 (2022 & 2024)

Further Reading

• Rhett Bollinger: "The Halos' unlikely third MVP candidate", mlb.com, May 21, 2022. [1]
• Thomas Hall: "Taylor Ward's injuries from Alek Manoah beaning included a loose skull: Ward has no hard feelings toward the Blue Jays pitcher and wishes him the best moving forward.", Yahoo! Sports, September 7, 2023. [2]

Related Sites

• Taylor Ward on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• Fresno State University bio