2020 Angels in review: Taylor Ward

After inconsistent playing time through his first two years with the Angels, Taylor Ward found more of a role in 2020, as he appeared in more than half of the Halos’ games last season.

The outfielder appeared in 34 games, hitting a career-high .277. However, it was a tale of two-seasons for the 26-year-old. Through his first 14 games, Ward was hitting only .147 with one extra base-hit. He was striking out in over 35 percent of his at bats, and he just looked lost at the plate.

The Angels optioned him to the Alternate Site, where he spent a few weeks before being recalled on September 3. To close out the season, Ward would turn into one of the best hitters on the entire Angels team. From the day he was called up through September 26, Ward was hitting .368/.410/.509/.919 with 21 hits and 11 runs scored.

There was an 11-game stretch from Sept. 6 through Sept. 20 where Ward went 16-for-32.

What looked like another lost season for the catcher turned outfielder quickly turned into a campaign for him to be a solid role player on the team moving forward.

2020 particulars

Age: 27

Stats: .277/.333/.383/.716, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 26 H, 6 2B, 97 OPS+

Game of the year

In game one of a doubleheader on Sept. 17, Ward finished with three hits. Two of them were doubles, a season-high for him. In addition, he also scored two runs as well.

Roster status

Ward has one year and 65 days of service time. He has two options remaining.