Angels' Taylor Ward Blames Teammate for Collision in Outfield

Angels left fielder Taylor Ward (3) sits in the dugout during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Aug. 6. | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

As far as the box score is concerned, Gleyber Torres' fly out to Taylor Ward on Aug. 10 in Detroit was a routine fly ball — a can of corn, in the baseball parlance.

For Ward, who was practically taken out like a bowling pin by center fielder Bryce Teodosio, the catch was anything but routine. He hopes it doesn't happen again.

The two had a talk immediately after the play. Ward revealed to Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group what they discussed.

“I’m just instilling in him you gotta call it, even if you don’t think I’m there or nobody’s there,” Ward said. “It doesn’t hurt to call it.”

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Teodosio, the rookie center fielder, ranged farther into left-center than many who play his position can dream on. But if Teodosio was in position to make the catch — even if a teammate is already camped beneath a fly ball — the center fielder has the right to call his teammate off.

The same situation unfurled on a similar play in the same inning in right-center field. Jo Adell appeared to call Teodosio off as he camped underneath a Riley Greene fly ball. But rather than getting out of the right fielder's way, Teodosio caught the ball above his teammate's glove.

An 80-grade defender as a prospect, Teodosio has flashed his potential in 18 games since he was promoted from Triple-A Salt Lake.

A little basic communication could go a long way toward the 26-year-old fulfilling that potential at the major league level.

“It’s great for the corner outfielders to take less off our legs,” Ward told Fletcher. “It’s awesome that he has that capability. I don’t care if he takes a ball that I should catch. It doesn’t matter to me.”

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It's a small sample size, but Teodosio ranks first among all MLB center fielders with at least 10 fielding chances this month — a plus-5, according to Statcast's Outs Above Average metric.

OAA estimates rely heavily on the degree of difficulty an outfielder faces in making a play. If an outfielder doesn't have the opportunity to make several high-difficulty plays in a given time period, he won't rate as highly as his peers.

In his brief MLB career, Teodosio has had the advantage of a series in Detroit's Comerica Park, which boasts the largest outfield in the American League. He might not rank No. 1 in OAA for the rest of the season as other center fielders get more chances to make more difficult plays.

Still, the Angels can expect to see more of Teodosio's enormous range in the future — particularly if his bat comes around. His teammates can only hope he calls them off next time.

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