Ward Building on Recent Breakout in a Surprising Way

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

When the Baltimore Orioles traded for Taylor Ward at the outset of this offseason, it was the first major trade after the 2025 season came to its conclusion. The O’s sent top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels for the slugging outfielder. The move immediately bolstered Baltimore’s offense.

That hasn’t worked out too well for the O’s thus far. They’re fourth in the American League East with an 18-23 record. That being said, the club has scored 181 runs entering play on Monday. That’s second-best in the division behind only the New York Yankees (215). Baltimore’s problem has been their pitching, with the staff allowing a division-high 222 runs for a run differential of -41.

Ward Showing Unparalleled Plate Discipline

Yet, with all that in mind, Ward has been a stalwart for the O’s. He’s paced the team offensively, leading qualified hitters in every major offensive category except for slugging percentage. Ward boasts a .262/.426/.376 slash line and an .802 OPS.

But the important number to look at here is his on-base percentage. At .426, Ward leads all qualified hitters across MLB in that category due to an MLB-leading 40 walks. And, despite having only one home run on the year, he has an above-average OPS mark. Since 2020, Ward has had a solid OBP, posting numbers above .300 every year.

But this is something different. His chase percentage (10.7 percent) and walk percentage (21.9) are in the 100th percentile across MLB. And Ward’s whiff percentage (16.3) is in the 88th percentile. All three of those marks are career highs for the veteran outfielder. All of that has contributed to an above-average 138 wRC+ (where 100 is average).