February 13, 2026

In his age 31 season, Taylor Ward was a surprise fantasy star in 2025, but it will be hard for him to repeat in 2026. In his last year with the Los Angeles Angels, Ward hit a career-high 36 home runs and set career-best numbers in runs (86) and RBI (103). Surprisingly, all of it came with a .228 batting average, the worst of his career for a full season. Now with the Baltimore Orioles, it appears Ward's power is likely to regress back to his average, but the dismal batting average should make its way back up. The .228 average was fueled by a very low .257, his lowest since his cup of coffee as a rookie in 2018. Ward's hard-hit rate and average exit velocity were in line with his career averages, leading to the conclusion that the low batting average was a product of bad luck, and not a lack of skills. However, Ward has a career-high HR/FB rate and a 26.5% strikeout rate, numbers which are not typically indicative of a high home run total repeating. Ward catches an early-season break with the Jackson Holliday injury, which means he is likely hitting at the top of the lineup early in the season, but should settle back into the middle by sometime in late April. The better lineup around him could allow for decent run and RBI totals, but expect the power to come back down to earth in 2026.--Ryan Kirksey