Los Angeles Angels fans have been excited for Taylor Ward in 2024. From the moment Ward took a fastball to the face last season, many just hoped he would be OK, and there were fears that his career might be over. Having to have surgery to put your face back together after being hit by a pitch is no fun.
Ward was able to recover in time for the start of the season and was an early success story. He showed little lingering effects from his injury and was one of the Angels’ best hitters for the first few months of the season. Assuming he kept that up, Ward was on track to become one of MLB’s most heartwarming stories of triumph against all odds.
However, another HBP led to a slump that not only caused his trade value to plummet at the deadline, but was so persistent that one wonders if he is even in the Angels’ long-term plans.
Sometimes baseball just isn’t fair, and it feels more and more like Ward’s situation falls squarely into that category. Ward was hit in the head by a pitch again on June 30, and while he has seemingly avoided serious injury, the numbers since that day are extremely telling. In the 34 games Ward has played since then (as of August 15), he has a batting average of .214/.271/.298 and 42 strikeouts in 144 appearances. That’s just not a major league performance, whatever the reasons for it.
To make matters worse, there’s no clear answer as to whether or not Ward can overcome his issues. The guy suffered a really traumatic injury and the second HBP clearly negatively affected his skills at the batting plate. Will he be able to overcome this mental block? And even if he does, what will happen the next time he gets going or even gets hit again? Not even Ward knows, and that’s a real problem.
One thing that works in Ward’s favor is that the Angels’ outfield is a real mess right now. Mike Trout isn’t coming back this season, and putting him at the DH position long-term might be the best option anyway. Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell have a lot of talent, but are very flawed players who struggled to put it all together in the big leagues. If Ward holds out the rest of the season, the Angels will likely continue to give him a chance. If Ward sags the rest of the season, one wonders if LA could get rid of him this offseason and give him a fresh start somewhere else.
