Taylor Ward love from the MLB Network

[Chuck]

 

[cals]

[Angelsfan1984]

41 minutes ago, cals said:

Shhh hes going to hear that picture.

[Angelsjunky]

[Angelsjunky]

I said it before a few weeks ago, but a lot of folks may be underrating Ward. The dude was incredible for the first month or so, got hurt and wasn't right for a couple months, then mashed again. I think his overall numbers represent a baseline level, and he has a good chance of surpassing them (if healthy, yada yada). I personally think something like .290/.370/.520, 30 HR, 145+ wRC+ is well within reach.

 

[m0nkey]

Thank you, Jerry!

[DCAngelsFan]

3 hours ago, Angelsjunky said:

I said it before a few weeks ago, but a lot of folks may be underrating Ward. The dude was incredible for the first month or so, got hurt and wasn't right for a couple months, then mashed again. I think his overall numbers represent a baseline level, and he has a good chance of surpassing them (if healthy, yada yada). I personally think something like .290/.370/.520, 30 HR, 145+ wRC+ is well within reach.

 

Exactly - that injury dogged him for awhile - he played but was significantly compromised for a good bit of the season.  

Seeing his hitting, when healthy, he looked "real" to me - he wasn't just lucky, he had excellent plate discipline, didn't try to force things by chasing bad balls, and has a nice tight, level swing with good bat speed.  No slap hitter, but makes good contact and drives the ball.    

I don't think he's a flash in the pan - your stats seem optimistic at first blush - but then you realize, it's not unrealistic at all - he put up a 137 wRC+ despite the injury.  

Crazy - thought he had future "Rule 5 draft loss" written all over him - instead, he may put up a "Top 5 offensive season" this year (knock wood)

 

[Angelsfan1984]

I'm definitely on the "underrated" train. His bat definitely showed amazing potential. For me its his defense. He doesnt look like an OF to me. Its robotic. I'm sure from a metric standpoint hes fine, but i dont get OF vibes from him. I can see a 1B or DH, which could work out but his bat doesnt warrant a platoon. 

If he continues to play at a high level on such an affordable contract during his physical prime, then its a major victory for this team. I'm tentatively optimistic. 

Can we please whisper though...he can definitely hear what were saying about him.

[Dtwncbad]

I think it is very foolish to assume Taylor Ward is going to hit like he did last year.

He certainly is the starter and he earned it.

But this looks and smells like a major letdown waiting to happen for the folks assuming he is going to be elite offensively.

Guys who suddenly mash at his age are extremely rare, and when it does happen it typically is short lived.

I am as hopeful as any fan of course, but I am not yet convinced he is the lock that many seem to believe he is.

 

 

[ShotimeDynasty]

9 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

I think it is very foolish to assume Taylor Ward is going to hit like he did last year.

He certainly is the starter and he earned it.

But this looks and smells like a major letdown waiting to happen for the folks assuming he is going to be elite offensively.

Guys who suddenly mash at his age are extremely rare, and when it does happen it typically is short lived.

I am as hopeful as any fan of course, but I am not yet convinced he is the lock that many seem to believe he is.

 

 

I will enjoy watching Taylor Ward & Brandon Drury show us their late career breakout seasons were legit & sustainable similar to Josh Donaldson & Jose Bautista.. Perry referred to these guys in relation to the Drury signing. 

[T.G.]

14 minutes ago, Dtwncbad said:

I think it is very foolish to assume Taylor Ward is going to hit like he did last year.

He certainly is the starter and he earned it.

But this looks and smells like a major letdown waiting to happen for the folks assuming he is going to be elite offensively.

Guys who suddenly mash at his age are extremely rare, and when it does happen it typically is short lived.

I am as hopeful as any fan of course, but I am not yet convinced he is the lock that many seem to believe he is.

 

 

 

[Pancake Bear]

5 hours ago, Dtwncbad said:

I think it is very foolish to assume Taylor Ward is going to hit like he did last year.

He certainly is the starter and he earned it.

But this looks and smells like a major letdown waiting to happen for the folks assuming he is going to be elite offensively.

Guys who suddenly mash at his age are extremely rare, and when it does happen it typically is short lived.

I am as hopeful as any fan of course, but I am not yet convinced he is the lock that many seem to believe he is.

 

 

There's a difference between presumption and reasonable assumption, just as there's a difference between healthy skepticism and pessimism. 

Your argument seems to be that since one year wonders (or part of a year) are common and guys turning into legit stars at Ward's age is rare, we should expect he'll turn into a pumpkin, or at least regress. That is a decent probability argument, but there's no real analysis in it. 

A better argument would be in the case of Livan Soto, who some fans seem to think is a bonafide star based on 50 AB's, despite him running a .500 BABIP. And that's the thing: When it's just a lucky run, there are usually signs of that to indicate it isn't sustainable. BABIP is usually one of the easier ways to spot a run of luck. However, Ward doesn't show any obvious signs of his improvement being unsustainable other than a pessimistic view of his mid-season struggle (which is well-established as being while he was playing hurt). 

I would also argue that there are probably a lot of players who have been capable of a lot more if they were coached better to maximize their potential, and I think we're starting to see those kinds of breakthroughs more often. It's also worth pointing out that having been a catcher, Ward would have a good eye at the plate, and he's shown signs of improving with his contact abilities the last few seasons. I see no reason not to assume he's capable of being a 130-140 wRC+ this season, and possibly even better than that, based on his beginning and end of the year. 

[Dtwncbad]

41 minutes ago, Pancake Bear said:

There's a difference between presumption and reasonable assumption, just as there's a difference between healthy skepticism and pessimism. 

Your argument seems to be that since one year wonders (or part of a year) are common and guys turning into legit stars at Ward's age is rare, we should expect he'll turn into a pumpkin, or at least regress. That is a decent probability argument, but there's no real analysis in it. 

A better argument would be in the case of Livan Soto, who some fans seem to think is a bonafide star based on 50 AB's, despite him running a .500 BABIP. And that's the thing: When it's just a lucky run, there are usually signs of that to indicate it isn't sustainable. BABIP is usually one of the easier ways to spot a run of luck. However, Ward doesn't show any obvious signs of his improvement being unsustainable other than a pessimistic view of his mid-season struggle (which is well-established as being while he was playing hurt). 

I would also argue that there are probably a lot of players who have been capable of a lot more if they were coached better to maximize their potential, and I think we're starting to see those kinds of breakthroughs more often. It's also worth pointing out that having been a catcher, Ward would have a good eye at the plate, and he's shown signs of improving with his contact abilities the last few seasons. I see no reason not to assume he's capable of being a 130-140 wRC+ this season, and possibly even better than that, based on his beginning and end of the year. 

The guys mashed last year.  So it is possible he keeps doing it.

Just saying it seems a little overly optimistic for people to just expect that he is going to be a force going forward.

The sample is too small and again he isn’t 23.

Further even if you just accept that what he did last year was “real”, then the other question is how is he going to adjust when the pitching makes adjustments against him?

The sustainability comes from either being a pure natural hitter that can hit no matter how they pitch you OR being capable of making adjustments when the pitchers adjust in how they pitch you.

I don’t think Ward has shown yet that he can adjust to changes in how he is pitched.

I am not really “pessimistic” but rather “cautious.”

I was wrong on Ward already in that I didn’t think he would make it.  At some point I thought he was just a bust of a 1st round pick.  Glad I was wrong in that.

I hope he continues to surprise me but he is going to have to do more than have a couple of hot months for me to view him as a legit MOTO bat.

Need to see it for longer. . .

[Stax]

Will Taylor Ward make a smooth transition to left field from right field?