LA Angels' OF Taylor Ward has officially put the league on notice with new honor

Taylor Ward's dominance for the LA Angels has officially been noticed by MLB. The league named him A.L. Player of the Week for his efforts last week. It's most certainly deserved, as Ward had the best week of his already-terrific season last week. Ward was god-like in that seven-day stretch--hitting .448/.484/1.000 (1.484 OPS).

Ward smoked four balls out of the park, driving in 11 runs while scoring 10 of his own. Ward had SEVEN extra-base hits in this seven-game span; making the most out of his 31 plate appearances. Moving Ward to the top of the lineup indicated just how well Ward was doing, and he refused to look back.

Ward has been so impressive that LA has unfortunately had to move Jo Adell down back to the Minors because he just simply won't be able to play much with Ward performing like this. Defensively, Ward not only didn't make an error last week, but he hasn't made an error all year.

Taylor Ward has been a star for the LA Angels when they've needed it badly.

The LA Angels would absolutely not be first place in the AL West without the dominance that has been put on display by Taylor Ward. Nobody would have thought the Halos could be 15-10 and in first place with Anthony Rendon batting .219 and Jared Walsh batting .213.

Since Ward has risen to the occasion and been the player those two were supposed to be, however, the Halos are not only surviving but thriving. Ward is batting .371, which leads the AL. His .480 on-base percentage, .710 slugging percentage, 1.190 OPS, and 248 OPS+ lead the entire Major Leagues.

Ward had played in parts of four different Big League seasons before 2022, and has now been able to bring it all together as an everyday player this year. He's been the best hitter in baseball so far this season, and while that is not likely to continue, it certainly is possible that he can at least continue playing at an All-Star level. He's showcased a new and unseen level of talent this time around.