This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Before the season, it would’ve been a reasonable expectation for the Angels to have an American League MVP candidate.

After all, Shohei Ohtani won the award unanimously in 2021, while Mike Trout has won it three times ('14, '16, '19) and has finished in the Top 5 in balloting nine times. But it would have been hard to predict that Taylor Ward would put together an MVP-caliber season, yet through the first fourth of the season, he's surprisingly been one of the best players in baseball.

Ward, 28, entered Saturday leading the AL in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, slashing an otherworldly .370/.481/.713 with a career-high nine homers and 23 RBIs in 30 games. He also entered the day tied for the AL lead in WAR at 2.7, along with Trout, according to FanGraphs.

"I feel like there's no pitcher out there who can get me out,” Ward said. “But, of course, that's not the way it works. The game can quickly humble you tomorrow, so you have to turn the page and lock it back in."

Ward, a first-round pick out of Fresno State in the 2015 Draft, has always had a good eye at the plate, but the Angels struggled to find him a position defensively and also had to work to retool his swing. He was drafted as a catcher and moved to third base in '18 before being converted to the outfield in '19. Ward, who also runs well, has developed into an above-average defender in right field.

He’s simply put it all together this season and is showing why he had so much success and potential in the Minor Leagues.

“I really try to think about how this game is the exact same as down there,” Ward said. “Guys down there miss [with their location], and guys up here miss also. The lights are just brighter and there are more distractions here. It's great, but you have to turn the page and get back into the zone."

Back in spring, Ward wasn’t even considered a lock to be an everyday player, as he was part of a crowded corner-outfield mix that included Brandon Marsh, Jo Adell and Justin Upton. The Angels surprisingly designated Upton for assignment at the end of Spring Training to clear a space for Ward to get more playing time, and he has taken full advantage of that, which has impressed general manager Perry Minasian.

“We obviously really like Taylor,” Minasian said. “We felt like this was a year he could play every day and show what he can do. He’s played really, really well on both sides. I think we get caught up in the offense, but defensively, he's been pretty solid. So is it a surprise how well he's played? Obviously, the numbers are really good, but for us, we felt like he could be really productive.”