Game Report: Taylor Ward

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.–Taylor Ward decided something had to change at the all-star break.

The Angels’ preseason No. 1 prospect hit just .224/.283/.259 with one home run in the first half of the season for high class A Inland Empire, one of the more disappointing developments in a season of many for the Angels’ franchise.

Rather than continue to do the same thing over and over and hope for a different result, Ward took a proactive approach, moving back a few inches off the plate and opening his batting stance slightly.

It is still early, the but the immediate results since Ward made the change to his stance have been dramatic.

Ward is hitting .341/.396/.432 in 11 games since the Cal League all-star break,  including a 2-for-5 showing Wednesday night in a 7-4 loss to Rancho Cucamonga in 11 innings.

He now has a hit in 10 of 11 games since the break, including a long home run at his pitcher-friendly home park on the Fourth of July.

“I think early on before I made the adjustment I was having some timing issues,” Ward said. “We just tried to make a nice clean path to the ball and once you have success you kind of stick with it.”

The Angels drafted Ward in the first round, No. 26 overall, last year with the belief his patient approach and improving power would make him a potent all-around catcher with his defensive prowess.

Instead, pitchers exploited Ward’s high hands in his stance throughout the first half, busting him hard and in with fastballs that he struggled to get around on, resulting in countless weak grounders to third base.

He began trying to counter it with hitting coach Ryan Barba in early June, and the most recent adjustments are finally bearing fruit.

“We both kind of saw something and wanted to make the adjustment and knew it wasn’t going to click in three days,” Barba said. “It’s something we addressed and now you’re kind of seeing the results with the ball coming off the bat a little bit harder and also his pitch selection.”

The change was apparent in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. Facing Rancho Cucamonga righthander Yaisel Sierra, Ward turned on a 93-mph inside fastball and laced into left field for single. A month ago, Ward was getting jammed and grounding out weakly on the same pitch.

“I’m just starting to feel it a little more,” Ward said. “I’m getting comfortable. It’s been good so far.”

Just as important as his adjustments was his mental growth during his tough first half. While the previous struggles weren’t fun, Ward took them as a learning experience.

 “I feel like once you’re new to professional baseball I think the organization wants to see you struggle a little bit and see how you kind of get out of it,” Ward said. “You have to adjust to how pitchers are trying to face you, because in college and at the lower levels they don’t really have a plan, they just kind of go after you and pitchers throw to their strengths.”

Now, the trick is for Ward to keep it up. As far as his hitting coach is concerned, this is just the beginning for the promising Angels catcher.

“You’re seeing small little things that he’s adjusting to,” Barba said. “They way they’re pitching him, getting comfortable with where his hands are, you’re seeing it. He’s getting better and better every day and working at it and the results are starting to show.”

NEWS AND NOTES

Sierra made his first start since being outrighted off the Dodgers 40-man roster and earned the win with six innings, seven hits and two hits allowed, two walks and four strikeouts.

The 25-year old Cuban righthander began the game sitting 88-91 with his fastball and struggled early, allowing a run in each of the first two frames, but kicked his stuff up a notch to 92-94 starting in the third inning and didn’t allow a run the rest of the way. He showed a 78-80 mph curveball and an 83-86 mph slider and used both to get swings and misses for strike threes in the dirt.

Rancho Cucamonga center fielder Johan Mieses, the Dodgers No. 12 prospect, launched a massive solo home run to left-center that traveled an estimated 435 feet. The muscular 20-year-old Dominican continues to showcase impressive power, but showed his downside with a strikeout his next at-bat and finished 1-for-5 on the night. He is hitting .222 with 18 doubles, 13 home runs and 82 strikeouts in 70 games.

Rancho Cucamonga designated hitter Matt Beaty, the Dodgers’ 12th round pick last year, opened the scoring with a long solo home run down to right and delivered the tie-breaking two-run double in the 11th inning with an opposite field shot off the left-field wall. Beaty, batting cleanup for the Quakes, is hitting .301 with 53 RBI this year in his first full season.