2025 Fantasy Baseball: Taylor Ward Profile, Preview, Predictions
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Taylor Ward falls into the steady offensive category in the fantasy market. A healthy Mike Trout should create more RBI chances.
that's "Angels Home Run Leader Taylor Ward" to you 👑#RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/3kEGWiRGnW
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) September 5, 2024
OF – Taylor Ward, LAA (ADP – 187.5)
In the fickle, high-stakes fantasy world, it doesn’t take much for a player to turn from a potential target to a player to avoid. Ward had an ADP of 131 heading into the 2023 draft season in the NFBC. Last year, he set career highs in at-bats (585), hits (144), home runs (25), RBIs (75), and steals (6), leading to him ranking 76th in FPGscore (-0.19) for hitters. Ward comes off the board as the 112th batter in the high-stakes market in mid-January, giving him built-in value if he repeats his 2024 stats.
His two glaring strikes were a rise in his strikeout rate (24.6 – 19.6% in 2023) and a further decline in his batting average (.246). Ward had a slight rebound in his contact batting average (.341 – .326 in 2023), but it was well below his success in 2022 (.371). He did maintain a favorable walk rate (9.5).
Ward hit well vs. left-handed pitching (.325/19/4/13/1 over 117 at-bats). His bat was a fantasy asset in April (.273 over 121 at-bats with 19 runs, seven home runs, 23 RBIs, and two steals), but he lost his way in June and July (.223/22/7/20/1 over 175 at-bats). Ward closed out the year with seven more home runs in September (.286/17/7/15/2 over 98 at-bats).
His exit velocity (90.9 mph) improved for the third consecutive season, with a minimal change in his hard-hit rate (41.1). He changed his swing path, leading to a career-high fly-ball rate (45.1) and launch angle (17.4).
Fantasy Outlook: Ward is a late-blooming player with the tools to be a neutral four-category player (BA, Runs, HRs, and RBIs) with some help in steals. He needs the Angels’ lineup to improve in scoring to reach a higher ceiling in runs and RBIs. Possible .265 with 80 runs, 25 home runs, 80 RBIs, and a handful of stolen bases.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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