It has been a rough go for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward to begin the 2025 season. He’s played in all 28 games so far this year, but has looked unlike himself in virtually every facet of the game.
He’s slashing .189/.237/.387 with a .623 OPS prior to the start of Wednesday’s game. He has an OPS+ of 74 and is both striking out above league-average rates and walking below league-average rates. A deeper look at the metrics say that Ward has been relatively unlucky when he does swing the bat, but he isn’t swinging. He’s struck out looking 10 times already this season.
The Angels outfielder was candid when discussing the called third strikes and the overall dip in performance this season, via Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“Frustrated,” Ward said. “Really just missing pitches right now.”
“The borderline pitches, I’m cool with taking those,” Ward said. “If they’re painted, I think over time, they’ll even out. But if the ball is fully in the zone, I need to take a hack at that for sure. Like my last at-bat last night, I need to foul that pitch off or take a swing at it. So there’s no excuse for that. I think it’s just the way things go sometimes. I think I’m seeing the ball well, except for maybe that last one last night.”
Ward believes that it’s a change in mechanics that led to this issue and that he has an idea of what to change in order to reverse those issues:
“I’m stepping in the bucket,” Ward said. “My front shoulder has just kind of taken off. In the past, I’ve really stayed in there longer with my front shoulder. So that’s just another thing we work on in the cage, and hopefully that allows me to stay on pitches better and see them longer.”
The Angels absolutely cannot afford to have Ward with an OPS in the 600’s. He has become one of their more reliable hitters over the last few years, and went from trade target to a player the Angels kept in order to build with him.
Hopefully, over the next few weeks, there will be a more aggressive version of Ward, as when he makes contact, he is still hitting the ball hard and well.
Angels entering weekend set with Tigers
The Angels (12-16 prior to Wednesday’s start) open a four-game home set with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Game 1: Thursday, May 1 at 6:38 p.m. PT
Yusei Kikuchi vs. Casey Mize
Game 2: Friday, May 2 at 6:38 p.m. PT
Kyle Hendricks vs. Tarik Skubal
Game 3: Saturday, May 3 at 6:38 p.m. PT
Jose Soriano vs. Jack Flaherty
Game 4: Sunday, May 4 at 1:07 p.m. PT
Jack Kochanowicz vs. Reese Olson
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