Angels' $7.8 Million Outfielder on MLB's All-Underrated Team for 2025

Sep 17, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Jordyn Adams (39), left fielder Taylor Ward (3) and right fielder Gustavo Campero (51) smile as they come off the field after the final out of the ninth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Taylor Ward has been linked to trades for months. He was rumored to be gone at the trade deadline and again this winter.

But being linked to other teams is a badge of honor. He is respected so much that other teams would love to have him.

That could be why Major League Baseball reporter Anthony Castrovince named the outfielder to his All-Underrated Team.

For the 2025 season, the criteria for selecting players have been slightly adjusted. Players must not have been selected for an All-Star appearance in the past five years, a slight change from the previous rule of no All-Star appearances ever, acknowledging that 2019 feels like a distant memory.

After slugging a career-high 25 homers last season for the Angels, Taylor Ward earns the #9 spot on the #Top10RightNow list of left fielders. pic.twitter.com/IokWxkrjF8

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 30, 2025

Additionally, players cannot have won any BBWAA Awards (MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year) at any point in their career, nor can they have earned Silver Slugger or Gold Glove honors. All-MLB Team selections are also off the table.

The updated requirements further specify that players should not be featured prominently on MLB Network’s current “Top 10 Right Now!” lists, a tweak to allow for more flexibility, with further explanation to come.

Players with nine-figure contracts are also excluded, and the minimum service time requirement remains at two years. These adjustments were made to ensure a more dynamic and inclusive team selection process.

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"Despite missing a good chunk of 2023 after taking a fastball to the face, Ward has been worth 7.6Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference, over the last three seasons," Castrovince wrote. "That ranks seventh among those who have logged at least half of their games played in left field.

"Ward’s 117 OPS+ in that span is tied for fifth among qualified left fielders (and is actually identical to the OPS+ put forth by Brewers rookie sensation Jackson Chourio in 2024). Last season, Ward joined Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber and Riley Greene as the only players in MLB to rank in the 80th percentile or better in expected weighted on-base average and barrel and chase percentage.

"And defensively, he had the fourth-most OAA in left among qualifiers in that three-season span from 2022-24. He’s a vital – and underrated! – cornerstone for an Angels team trying to contend."

The left fielder hit a career-best 25 home runs in 2024, finishing the season with a .749 OPS in a career-high 156 games with the Angels.

After a slow start, he turned things around in the second half, posting a solid .272/.338/.461 slash line over his final 63 games, primarily batting in the leadoff spot.

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