Angels' Ward expands tools in breakout year

During his first trip to Spring Training, Taylor Ward was as far from the spotlight as could be. Somebody could walk into the Angels clubhouse in Tempe, Arizona, and not know Ward was there. While the rest of his new teammates sat at lockers along the edges of the room, Ward's pile of cleats, gloves and other gear faced away from the entrance, situated in an island seemingly doled out for "the other guys."
To put it bluntly, no one was giving Mike Trout that locker.
On that late February morning back in 2016, Ward sat and stared at his No. 99 jersey with indignation. He knew his former Fresno State teammate Aaron Judge had taken a liking to the number often given to the new guy, but Ward didn't like the idea of being an afterthought. The Angels have never seen him in that light, though.
He still has a clear memory of watching the 2015 Draft on TV and seeing Angels front office personnel yelling and high-fiving when the former Bulldogs catcher fell to their pick -- the 26th overall selection.
At the time, MLB.com had ranked Ward as the No. 99 best prospect in the 2015 Draft, and he didn't make it past the semifinalist round for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top Division I catcher. But the Halos were looking for depth behind the plate, and during Ward's junior year he'd proven to be one of the most fundamentally sound backstops available. He also had relatively solid numbers at the plate and intangibles worthy of a first-round pick.
So why, after two full professional seasons, as Ward was being sent down to Minor League camp this March, was he being told that he would no longer be a catcher but instead would be asked to learn the ropes at third base?

Untapped potential

It had been Ward's only true bright spot. He hadn't finished a season with a fielding percentage below .989 while throwing out 102 runners in 202 innings. In contrast, he hit .249 with Class A Advanced Inland Empire in 2016 and was averaging .242 with the 66ers through 54 games in 2017 before a late promotion to Double-A Mobile prompted a surge. He hit .286 in 33 Southern League games.
"I really thought they drafted me where they did because of my catching ability, so this all came as a shock to me," Ward said. "I felt like I'd been consistent back there."
Was the Angels front office already throwing in the towel on a Draft pick some thought was a leap in 2015, or did they have enough faith in Ward's athleticism and untapped potential to make another against-the-grain decision about him?
"I always thought it was a move to help him move up through the organization more quickly," BayBears manager Lou Marson said. "I think they always knew he had that potential, but offensively they wanted him to just go out and swing the bat and feel better physically and mentally. You're seeing the potential come out now.
"He doesn't have to worry about what pitch he called last inning and getting yelled at about it. All he needs to worry about is playing solid defense and barreling the ball."
The Angles' No. 8 prospect is aware he's partially responsible for bringing about the position change -- in a positive sense. He returned to team facilities this January feeling as fit, rested and strong as ever. His athleticism shone through in the team's preseason baseline drills, testing his speed, strength and agility. That explosiveness, combined with his consistent hitting at the end of 2017, illustrated that Ward could be a real offensive threat.
"I think seeing how I was as a fresh baseball player and the things I could do with stolen bases, pure athleticism, the things I could do opened their eyes to the possibilities," he said. "Plus, I could protect the shoulder I'd hurt in the past, and I was going to get, maybe, 150 more at-bats by playing infield."
Marson understands first-hand the wear and tear that years crouching behind home plate can put on a catcher. The Phillies drafted him straight out of high school in the fourth round of 2004, and Marson made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2008 and traveled with the World Series champs during their title run. He would catch 259 games for the Phillies and the Indians over six seasons, but averaged .219 at the plate for his career.
"I told him, 'Man, I wish they'd asked me to switch to third,'" Marson said, recalling his playful conversation with Ward at Minor League camp. "My hips and knees were always bothering me. You were always getting hit with foul tips, and it can be hot, especially in the Southern League. You have to be a different kind of animal to be able to catch every day. I have a lot of respect for guys who catch 140 games a year."
It took Ward 48 hours to come to terms with the position change, but before he knew it, he was taking the hot corner in practice for the first time in his baseball career. Progress was understandably slow, and Marson remembers Ward taking an early chopper to the eye. Reacting to slow rollers and taking a quick, accurate first step on hot ground balls were like a foreign language.

But infield practice only lasted for so long, and when he normally would have been catching bullpen sessions, Ward found extra opportunities in the cage. He wasn't happy with his team prospect ranking, which started 2018 at No. 14, and it was time to make his own luck.
"Oh yeah, I'm aware of those [rankings], and it does light a fire for me," he said. "To prove those people who determine them wrong."

Busting out

To say Ward started the season hot would be an understatement. He knocked 12 hits over his first five games and finished April with a .385/.490/.513 slash line. Even as Mobile cycled through opponents again, giving pitchers another chance to find holes in his swing, he barely cooled off. In fact, he maintained a .345 average through May 21, blasting six homers.
The dramatic jump in his production at the plate hasn't come from some huge adjustment in his swing in the last calendar year, Ward insists, although confidence may be a bit of factor. Being a step or two away from his Major League dream has reassured him that he belongs, giving him a new sense of comfort at the plate.
"He doesn't overthink things," Marson said. "He doesn't put too much pressure on himself and continues to put together quality at-bats. He just worries about going up there and finding a good pitch and barreling it and keeping it simple.
"And he has a great routine. You don't want guys to be OCD, but you want a routine and want them to stick with it. Before games, guys will go in and waste a lot of swings in the cage, and he doesn't overthink things."
In addition to more time in the cage, the position change has provided Ward ample time to dissect film of his at-bats and the pitchers he's scheduled to face. That kind of preparation played second fiddle to his catching duties in years past.
"With all the video and film I've watched this year, I've realized it's as simple as getting a good pitch and swinging at them. If I can do that, I'll do just fine," Ward said. "It's helped me limit my slumps and the roller coaster of the game and realize that stuff comes from swinging at bad pitches."

Taylor Ward is adjusting to life as a third baseman. (Ben Sandstrom/MiLB.com)
But with his developing skills in the infield, Ward knew he had to add other tools to his game to avoid becoming a one-dimensional player. It may be surprising in somebody who was a catcher four months ago, but he can turn on the jets on the basepaths. Although he never attempted to steal a base in 2016 or 2017, Ward has ripped off 17 bags this year and been caught just twice.
"Early on in [Rookie-level] Orem [in 2015], I stole a couple, but I think they were probably hit-and-runs that got messed up. Those weren't legit," he said. "I realized in Spring Training with my speed and fresh legs that I could probably steal some, and I set a goal for 20 stolen bases.
"Having catching taken away, in my opinion, that's half your game. I could have a great game catching and go 0-for-4 and still come away feeling like I had a good day. Now, playing third, I might stand over there and not get a single grounder, and so now when I go 0-for-4 and get a walk, I have to take advantage of that chance I have on base," he added. "And I can get into a catcher's head a bit. I know how to pick good counts to go on and how to catch them off-guard. I always remember guys getting on after a huge moment and taking off the next pitch, so I mix that in along with some delayed stuff. My past there has definitely helped."

The highest rung

After a brief stint on the disabled list in late May, Ward was promoted to Triple-A Salt Lake. By his high standards, the third baseman took a while to get acclimated to the pitching at the next level. In reality, Ward had hit .321 over his first seven games and only dipped below .300 for a brief three-game stretch a week later before rocketing toward .400. Through the action of July 26, he's hitting .359 over 45 games with the Bees and ranks second among qualified full-season players with a .352 batting average on the year.
In the Pacific Coast League, he's faced more disciplined, experienced pitchers who don't rely on pure velocity to try to get him out with the eye-popping fastballs he feasted on in Double-A. And without the muggy Southern League air to slice through, his shots continued to fly -- he's hit seven homers since joining the Bees.
"When a hitter has a really good feel for what [he's] trying to accomplish, [he] can take back what the pitchers are giving [him] here," Salt Lake manager Keith Johnson said. "You want a guy who knows how to stay within the framework of who they are as a hitter. The biggest part is not trying to get pull-happy. With him, you see the same stuff you watch in batting practice, and it shows."
For Ward, turning what at one point might have looked like a mere hot streak into a season-long breakout performance has been a matter of trying to play up to the potential he's always known he has. With the talent and reputation he entered the pros with, the 24-year-old feels like it shouldn't have taken him this long to reach Triple-A.
"As a player, you always think highly of yourself, and looking at what I've been able to do, I feel like there's no reason I couldn't have been doing this all through the Minors," he said. "If I had, I shouldn't still be here. I'd be in the Majors. Being here drives me to continue moving, and however much longer I stay here, I'm going to keep working hard every day so that once I get called up, I can stay for a long time."

Johnson, who is in his seventh year managing the Bees, sees Ward as different than any other prospect he's come across during his time with the Angels. The combination of offensive consistency, occasional power, speed on the basepaths and raw ambition in the field makes Ward's bid for a late-season callup an interesting one.
But considering how hitting has started to come natural to Ward, Johnson hopes he'll begin to approach his new position with that same carefree attitude. As demonstrated by the way the Angels have handled Ward in 2018, good things come to those who take chances.
"I want him to toss his error totals out the window. Honestly, I'd rather him make more of them than less," Johnson said. "The more he makes, he's going to know more. He has the freedom here to take risks, whether they work or don't work. We're trying so much to hurry him up and push him that the only way he can truly learn these things in a ballgame is to experience them."