Was the Angels front office already throwing in the towel on a Draft pick some thought was a leap in 2015, or did they have enough faith in Ward's athleticism and untapped potential to make another against-the-grain decision about him? 'I felt like I'd been consistent back there.' 'I really thought they drafted me where they did because of my catching ability, so this all came as a shock to me,' Ward said. 242 with the 66ers through 54 games in 2017 before a late promotion to Double-A Mobile prompted a surge. 249 with Class A Advanced Inland Empire in 2016 and was averaging. 989 while throwing out 102 runners in 202 innings. He hadn't finished a season with a fielding percentage below.

It had been Ward's only true bright spot.

So why, after two full professional seasons, as Ward was being sent down to Minor League camp this March, was he being told that he would no longer be a catcher but instead would be asked to learn the ropes at third base? He also had relatively solid numbers at the plate and intangibles worthy of a first-round pick. But the Halos were looking for depth behind the plate, and during Ward's junior year he'd proven to be one of the most fundamentally sound backstops available. 99 best prospect in the 2015 Draft, and he didn't make it past the semifinalist round for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the nation's top Division I catcher. He still has a clear memory of watching the 2015 Draft on TV and seeing Angels front office personnel yelling and high-fiving when the former Bulldogs catcher fell to their pick - the 26th overall selection.Īt the time, MLB.com had ranked Ward as the No. The Angels have never seen him in that light, though. He knew his former Fresno State teammate Aaron Judge had taken a liking to the number often given to the new guy, but Ward didn't like the idea of being an afterthought. On that late February morning back in 2016, Ward sat and stared at his No. To put it bluntly, no one was giving Mike Trout that locker. While the rest of his new teammates sat at lockers along the edges of the room, Ward's pile of cleats, gloves and other gear faced away from the entrance, situated in an island seemingly doled out for 'the other guys.' Somebody could walk into the Angels clubhouse in Tempe, Arizona, and not know Ward was there. During his first trip to Spring Training, Taylor Ward was as far from the spotlight as could be.

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