Joseph Taylor Ward (born December 14, 1993) is an American professional baseball third baseman and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Ward was drafted by the Angels in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, 26th overall. He made his MLB debut in 2018.
Amateur career
Ward began high school at Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida. After his freshmen year his family would move and he would go on to graduate from Shadow Hills High School in Indio, California, and play college baseball at Fresno State. In 2014, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the Angels in the first round (26th overall) of the 2015 MLB draft.
Professional career
Ward made his professional debut with the Orem Owlz and was later promoted to the Burlington Bees. He batted a combined .348 (2nd among Angels minor leaguers)/.457/.438 with three home runs, 31 RBIs, and six stolen bases between the two teams in 201 at bats. He was named a Pioneer League Mid-Season All-Star.
He spent 2016 with the Inland Empire 66ers where he batted .249 with ten home runs and 56 RBIs. He was an Arizona Fall League 2016 Rising Star, and an MiLB.com Angels Organization All Star.
In 2017, Ward split time between the 66ers and the Mobile BayBears, batting a combined .258/.368/.390 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs in 87 games between both clubs. He was an MiLB.com Angels Organization All Star.
Los Angeles Angels
Prior to the 2018 season, he was converted from a catcher to a third baseman. He was called up to the majors for the first time on August 14, 2018, and made his MLB debut that day. He finished the season hitting .178/.245/.333 for the Angels in 135 at bats over 40 games with 6 home runs and 15 RBIs. In the minor leagues, between Mobile and the AAA Salt Lake Bees, he batted .349/.446/.531 in 375 at bats with 14 home runs, 60 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in 21 attempts, and was a Southern League mid-season All Star, and an MiLB.com Angels Organization All Star. In 2020, he hit .277 in 34 games for the Angels. On June 17, 2021, Ward hit his first career grand slam. Ward finished 2021 hitting .250/.332/.438 in 65 games.
Ward began his 2022 season on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain. He made his season debut on April 16, 2022, going 2-for-3 with a solo home run against the Texas Rangers. On April 25, 2022, Ward hit 2 home runs and provided all the offense in his first multi-homer game, a 3–0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. On April 27, 2022, later in the same series against Cleveland, Ward went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, his second career grand slam, and a triple, falling a single shy from hitting for the cycle in the 9–5 victory. Ward was named the American League Player of the Week for April 25–May 1, a span where he batted .448 with a .484 on-base percentage, a 1.000 slugging percentage, 10 runs scored, and 11 RBIs. On August 13, 2022, Ward hit a walk-off 2-run home run in the 11th inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins, his second career walk-off homer, to win 5–3. Ward finished the 2022 season batting .281 with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs in 135 games.