Has another ex-Fresno State standout reached Major League stardom? He’s definitely on fire

This week’s hottest hitter in Major League Baseball once played at Fresno State.

And we’re not talking about Aaron Judge.

Say hello to Taylor Ward.

Remember him?

The former Bulldogs star catcher-turned 2015 first-round pick-turned “Quad-A” player-turned sudden breakout candidate is playing a vital role for the Los Angeles Angels.

In fact, Ward is hitting so well to start the year, the 28-year-old has managed to outshine his megastar teammates Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.

Just consider the highlights of this week’s production alone:

• Ward hit two home runs Monday en route to a 3-0 win against the Cleveland Guardians.
• Then he hit a grand slam Wednesday while going 3 for 4 and falling just a single shy of hitting for the cycle in the Angels’ 9-5 win against the Guardians.
• And on Friday, Ward connected for a leadoff home run against Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito as the Angels extended their win streak to five games with a 5-1 victory.

For the season, Ward is batting .404 with five home runs, 14 runs, 13 RBIs and one steal over 47 at-bats and 13 games (he missed the first eight games of the year with a groin injury).

While a regression is expected with Ward’s on-base percentage currently at an astounding .517 and his on-base-plus-slugging percentage at 1.347, it’s not completely out of the question that Ward could end up challenging his former college teammate and New York Yankees star Aaron Judge for the best season by a Fresno State alum this year.

Judge is batting .293 with six home runs, 14 runs, 13 RBIs and one steal in his first 75 at-bats and 20 games. His OBP is .361 and OPS is .961, which is right around Judge’s career norms.

Ward and Judge played one season together at Fresno State in 2013.

Judge then skipped his senior year with the Bulldogs after the Yankees selected him with the No. 32 overall pick.

Two years later, Ward bypassed his senior year as well after he was taken with the No. 26 overall pick by the Angels. Ward became only the 10th player in Fresno State history to be drafted in the first round in the modern day draft format.

But while the 6-foot-7 Judge needed just three seasons in the minors before permanently moving onto the majors, Ward’s ascension to the big show has been herky-jerky.

Ward reached the majors by his fourth season of pro ball.

Except, he kept getting sent down as Ward bounced between Triple-A and the majors from 2018 to 2021, while playing only 159 games for the Angels.

And during his time in the minors, Ward switched positions.

He stopped playing catcher after the 2017 season to try things out at third base.

By 2021, he had moved on to mostly playing in the outfield. He’s manned right field for Los Angeles this season.

Nonetheless, Ward’s extended time in the minors and initial inability to stick in the majors caused some people to view him as a “Quad-A” player — good enough to excel in Triple-A but not good enough to make an impact in the majors.

Ward’s performance out of the gate this season would seem to prove otherwise.

Now Ward just has to show he’s not just enjoying a hot stretch at the plate but that his early success is sustainable throughout an entire season in the majors.

This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 10:00 AM.