Angels Manager Reveals Reasoning for Midseason All-Star Signing

At the very least, Taylor brings tons of experience and versatility to the Halos. The team is in the midst of a great stretch results-wise. There's no reason to think the Angels can't stay competitive in what looks like a wide-open AL West.

Manager Ron Washington spoke to the Orange County Register about Taylor and echoed many of the sentiments speaking about Taylor's potential value to the team.

“[Taylor] brings experience, something we need in here,” manager Ron Washington said. “He’s been through the wars. He’s a good piece for those young guys to talk to about how to handle a grind. He’s been in the grind over there with L.A. every day winning, and we want that. We’ve seen him play, and we gonna give him an opportunity to see what he’s got left.”

Taylor was also asked about joining the team. The Virginia native helped the Dodgers win two World Series titles over nearly a decade with the ballclub. His numbers have plummeted over the last few years, and some believe he may never get back to the All-Star level he demonstrated in the past.

At the same time, Taylor is clearly motivated to prove doubters wrong.

“I feel like I have a lot to prove to myself,” Taylor said before his Angels debut. “I haven’t performed to how I feel I’m capable of playing the last couple seasons, and I kind of want to turn that around. Hopefully, I can just come in consistently and work hard every day, and help the team any way I can.”

Taylor's leadership and positional versatility will be invaluable to this team. Being in a new environment with different teammates, the hope is that Taylor can be reenergized in order to squeeze out the remaining thunder in his bat.

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