Player Profile: Early 2022 Superstar Taylor Ward
Taylor Ward has lit a fire under the Angels, propelling them to one of the best MLB teams in early 2022. Krebs’ latest Friday MLB column explores the new superstar and whether Ward’s production will be sustainable.
In every sport, some players improve their on-field play during the offseason and provide seasons that are not reflective of their career. Or, in some cases, something was holding a player back from achieving their full potential on the field. Taylor Ward, the five-year Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder, had limited playing time throughout his career, with less-than-stellar production keeping him from a full-time role next to Mike Trout. 2022 is a different story, with Ward establishing himself in the early run as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. When teams have talented players on their roster, people have high expectations, but creating a culture of terrific players often allows those superstars to elevate the players around them. In a lineup featuring 2021 MVP Shohei Ohtani, three-time MVP Mike Trout, as solid a third baseman as they come in Anthony Rendon, and one of the best emerging first basemen in Jarred Walsh, the Angels, along with manager Joe Maddon, have created an atmosphere designed for players to wreak havoc against opposing pitchers.
Per Baseball-Reference, Taylor Ward leads the American League in batting average (.367), on-base percentage (.490), on-base plus slugging (1.199), and OPS+, a more advanced version of OPS, with a score of 255. The Angels have a true leadoff hitter, a deviation from the rest of the league in which power hitters are at the top of the lineup. In Taylor Ward, the Angels have a budding superstar to echo the likes of the rest of the team’s star power.
Via Baseball Savant, most of Ward’s offensive production comes via fastballs, like most of MLB, but what separates his production from others is his propensity for his “weaknesses” in off-speed, which is around league average. That means Ward’s weakness will likely not bite him, barring a change in approach, if pitchers throw to Ward differently, or if he is injured. With a low chase rate, elite walk percentage, and hitting the ball to all fields, Taylor’s production should be sustainable for the coming future.
Taylor Ward is outperforming his limited career production but is a 2022 superstar. The Angels have an on-base machine who walks as much as he strikes out and a traditional table-setter for Los Angeles’ talented lineup. The responsibility falls on Ward to keep up his production for the remainder of the season and his career, but his quick start to the season speaks to the Angels outfielder’s ability to adapt to the major leagues.
Reference Page
Images Courtesy of Getty Images
Traditional statistics via Baseball Reference
Advanced data via Baseball Savant
Statistics as of May 11th, 2022