Los Angeles Angels fans annoyed with leadoff hitter Taylor Ward as 4 game win streak broken: "Does Phil Nevin hate Moniak for some reason?"
Los Angeles Angels leadoff hitter Taylor Ward had another frustrating outing on Friday against the Miami Marlins.
Ward was 1-5 on the night and struck out a team-high four times. His batting average has now dropped to .225 on the season. His OBP of .298 is not much better.
FINAL: Angels 2, Marlins 6 https://t.co/CcTp3EpDY9
The Marlins jumped out to an early lead against the Angels, and never looked back. They won the game 6-2 with Jesus Luzardo recording the win on the night.
The latest loss saw the Angels break their four-game win streak, which included a sweep of the Boston Red Sox. The Angels are now 28-24 on the season, five games behind the Texas Rangers
MLB fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration after another dismal display from the offense. Taylor Ward was singled out by many as the weak link in this lineup. Fans are growing increasingly frustrated with manager Phil Nevin's insistence on sticking with the righty in the leadoff spot.
@Angels The Taylor Ward in the lead off spot nonsense HAS to stop
Mickey not hitting for Ward there is beyond comical. Does Phil Nevin hate Moniak for some reason? What is the deal?
iād rather chew bricks than watch taylor ward play baseball
@Angels Stop letting Ward play over Moniak. Idc if Moniak doesn't have great stats vs LHP. Ward has sucked all season
@Angels Stop with this silliness. Fletcher should be playing instead of Rengifo.
Ward should not be playing right now, need to fix him.
@Angels Ward should never lead off again
@Angels Give dodgers ward
@Angels šļø 2 runs on 10 hits. Players just stand in box taking āāā
At this point. I rather see Jo Adell than Taylor Ward
Nevin has trusted Ward to lead the lineup for the majority of the season. The 29-year-old has failed to deliver in key spots.
There are currently 10 Angels position players that have played in 30 or more games. Amongt the 10, Ward ranks ninth in batting average (.225), ninth in OBP (.298), ninth in OPS (.617) and seventh in RBIs (17).
Outfielder Taylor Ward was drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had high hopes for Taylor Ward when they drafted him with the 26th overall pick of the 2015 MLB draft. Ward has steadily worked his way up the ladder and made his major league debut in 2018.
Last season, Ward impressed with a .281 batting average and a .833 OPS over 135 games. He finished the year with 23 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Unfortunatley, the outfielder has failed to match last seasons production in 2023. He is off to a sluggish start and has recorded just four home runs and 17 RBIs over his first 49 games.
Ward's numbers are not up to par for an MLB leadoff hitter. Angels fans are calling for their manager to make a change in order to keep up with the red-hot Texas Rangers.