3 Angels' veteran hitters that have held the team back so far in 2025

The once potent Angels' offense was riding high on the backs of some young bats in the early going. As those young players have cooled, the offensive performance has cratered, and the lack of contributions from certain key veterans has become more glaring.

Despite a nearly three-week-long cold spell, the Halos are still sixth in the majors with 44 homers through 32 games, showcasing just how hot they were in the early going. Contrast that with the league's second-highest strikeout rate at 26.8%, while walking at a league-worst 5.9%, and you can see why, despite the early-season power surge, the team ranks 25th in runs scored with 116, good for just 3.63 runs per game.

It's been feast or famine in the early going for a multitude of reasons. The Angels' approach at the plate leaves much to be desired. Injuries have cost them, first with Yoan Moncada landing on the IL in early April, leading to a whole lot of Tim Anderson in the lineup, and even more critically, leaving the team without Mike Trout at the present moment.

However, despite all of these other hurdles, the production of three key veteran bats has left a lot to be desired and held the team back greatly as they look to improve on last season's disastrous 63-99 campaign.

Taylor Ward has been the Angels' most-reliable player in recent years, yet he's been MIA all season

Since becoming a regular in 2022, Taylor Ward has been a fixture in the Angels' lineup. Aside from missing extended time in 2023 after he was hit in the head with a pitch, Ward has been mostly healthy, save for some minor bumps and bruises, and productive each and every season.

From 2022 to 2024, he posted wRC+ numbers of 136, 107, and 111, respectively, while showing an ability to hit for power and average. His high-water mark for homers came in 2024 when he clocked 25 dingers, and his career-best batting average came in 2022 when he hit .281. Throughout this time period, he's also posted better-than-average walk and strikeout rates, proving that he is a complete hitter.

However, 2025 has been a far cry from his past reliability. He's played in 31 of the Angels' 32 games to start the season, yet slashed just .172/.215/.352. That performance has been good for a 53 wRC+, 47% worse than league-average.

His struggles have been further detrimental to the team, given his place in the batting order. Ward started the year as the leadoff man, batting first in 22 contests. As Ron Washington has tweaked the lineup, looking for a spark, Ward has most often batted cleanup these days, with eight starts batting fourth. He also has one game in which he hit third.

There is some good news, however. Ward is a streaky hitter who is prone to getting extremely hot while also having some extended cold spells. His power, with six homers on the year and a .180 ISO that's a tick above his career mark of .176, has also been on display during this dismal stretch.

For the Angels to play winning baseball, they're going to need Ward to snap out of his funk, and soon. He's one of the best all-around hitters on the team, and his struggles so far in the young season have been an anchor dragging the offense down. The sooner he snaps out of it, the better things will be.