| Taylor Ward | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ward with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 | |
| Los Angeles Angels – No. 3 | |
| Left fielder | |
| Born: December 14, 1993 Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 14, 2018, for the Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB statistics (through September 26, 2024) | |
| Batting average | .253 |
| Home runs | 77 |
| Runs batted in | 241 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
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Joseph Taylor Ward (born December 14, 1993) is an American professional baseball left fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Ward was raised in Central Florida before moving to Indio, California, where he attended Shadow Hills High School and emerged as a notable baseball prospect as a catcher. He played three seasons of college baseball for the Fresno State Bulldogs, earning multiple conference accolades. The Angels drafted Ward in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, 26th overall. After spending four seasons in the Angels farm system and being converted to a third baseman, he made his MLB debut in 2018.
In his first four major league seasons, Ward did not find consistent playing time and was sent back down to the minor leagues on multiple occasions. In 2019, the Angels converted him to primarily play the outfield, forcing him to compete with fellow top prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh for a spot while veterans Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Kole Calhoun received most of the playing time. In 2022, Ward became the Angels' primary right fielder and was credited with a breakout season after he hit 23 home runs and led qualified Angels batters with a .281 batting average and a .360 on-base percentage (OBP). In 2023, he moved to left field.