Angels insider claims "Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani hid Taylor Ward" in lineup in the past, doubting LF's spot post-Jorge Soler trade
Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Anthony Rendon played together for the Angels for three years, but that didn't translate to any postseason appearances. However, one beneficiary of the trio's presence was Taylor Ward, according to a Halos insider.
On Monday on the "Locked on Angels" podcast, insider Jon Frisch addressed the Jorge Soler trade and its implications for the team, particularly Ward.
"It would be interesting to see Ward in a lineup where he isn't the star, the threat," Frisch said (Timestamp: 4:06). "A lot of the time this past season, he was the threat because he was having a great season up to a certain point.
"And then, you know, once everybody started getting hurt and he became the big bat in the lineup, I think that's really where he got exposed."
Frisch said the presence of better players had protected Ward. He claimed the team got the sample size of what to expect from Ward in the 2024 season.
"In the past, he's had Trout, Rendon, Ohtani, those guys hide him really well," Frisch said (Timestamp: 4:27). "But when he's the veteran in the lineup, that's essentially what we got this year. We had a great start, an ugly summer and then a strong finish."
Frisch believes Ward is better as a "piece of the puzzle" surrounded by sluggers pitchers fear to face, like Mike Trout or Anthony Rendon. However, with Jorge Soler acquired by the Halos from the Braves, the insider is interested to see whether the Halos will keep or trade Ward.
Implications of Jorge Soler trade on Mike Trout and Taylor Ward
Jon Frisch suggested the Braves traded Jorge Soler to the Angels because of Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna Jr. Ozuna is Atlanta's primary designated hitter, and Acuna will also have to play that role as he eases back into the game after the ACL surgery. Therefore, the move made sense as Soler can only play the DH role due to his defensive weakness.
Incidentally, Mike Trout will also be looking to play sometime in the DH role for the Angels. As such, many consider the Jorge Soler move to hurt the Halos, particularly Trout. However, Frisch was reciprocating of the move, pointing to the slugging capabilities of the Cuban.
Moreover, he believes the move could help Ward if the Angels decide against parting away with the left fielder. Frisch felt that a slugger like Soler was in need with the Angels, even with the presence of talented and consistent contact hitters and base stealers like Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe.