Taylor Ward DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward went 1-for-2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, and a solo home run in Friday's 7-4 win over the Marlins, collecting two RBI and scoring twice in the contest. Ward is on quite the heater right now, currently riding a nine-game hit streak and hitting safely in 11 of his last 13, during which time the right-handed slugger is 19-for-49 (.388) with 13 of those hits going for extra bases (five 2B, one 3B, seven HR) with 20 RBI and 14 runs scored. The 31-year-old is a streaky hitter, though, and this hot stretch was preceded by a 15-game period of futility in which he went 5-for-53 (.094), so the recent offense outburst has only lifted the veteran's season-long slash line to .228/.276/.523. He can be frustrating for season-long managers, however, ride him while he's hot in DFS.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward went 3-for-5, including a grand slam, as he tallied five RBI and two runs scored in a 10-5 win over the A's. This was his second grand slam in the past two weeks, and his fourth home run in the past six games. After starting the season extremely slowly with a .189 batting average in April, he has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball in the month of May. He's now slashing .225/.272/.508 with 14 home runs, 34 RBI, and 28 runs on the season. Ward has historically been a very streaky player, and he is a must-start in all formats until he inevitably cools off.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward hit the go-ahead grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning on Monday night, giving the Angels a 9-5 victory over the Padres. Ward's ninth home run of the year came off relief pitcher Alek Jacob, who came on in relief of Robert Suarez, who was charged with a blown save and the loss. Ward is still hitting just .190 on the season, but his power production has been decent with nine home runs and 21 RBI in 31 games. He has three home runs and three multi-hit games over his last seven games and is still hitting the ball hard despite his low batting average. When he's hot, he can definitely be mixed-league material, so watch closely to see if he can turn this recent surge into a full-blown heater.