When Taylor Ward described his hitting philosophy on a video call with reporters Monday, the newly acquired Orioles outfielder recited almost word for word a staple of Baltimore’s hitting program for years.

“I’m very selective, obviously, and I’m looking for pitches in the heart of the plate,” Ward said. “I think that gives me the best chance to have the most success.”

The Orioles have preached that mentality throughout president of baseball operations Mike Elias’ tenure, and even with hitting coach turnover two winters in a row, that core value remains. When hunting those mistake pitches, Ward produced monster numbers, and those numbers convinced the Orioles to part ways with right-hander Grayson Rodriguez in order to land the middle-of-the-order bat of Ward.

Ward hit 36 home runs with the Los Angeles Angels last season, and while he acknowledged there’s work to be done with his average (he hit .228), he’s coming off the best offensive season of his career. Now, in Baltimore, Ward hopes to make his 2025 numbers a benchmark to surpass.

“I think there’s a lot more in the tank, especially with average and cutting down on strikeouts and things like that,” Ward said. “That’s what I’m going to be focused on this offseason and just continuing to dial in the mechanics side of things and the consistency side of things with that, and also swinging at good pitches. I think I did a decent job last year with that, too. I just think both of those things combined kind of produces what you saw, and just trying to stay right there and improve a little bit in some areas.”

Ward’s numbers are intriguing, even if some leave room for improvement. His chase rate on pitches outside the zone was 20.7%, per Statcast, which ranked in the 92nd percentile. He walked at an 11.3% rate, which ranked in the 82nd percentile. But he still struck out 26.4% of the time, which was in the 16th percentile.

Ward was patient at the plate, seeing an average of 4.21 pitches per plate appearance. That ranked as the 11th most in the majors and it would’ve led Baltimore hitters.

He waited, mainly, for pitches in the middle of the plate. For instance, 17 of his 36 home runs came on middle-middle pitches. He achieved an exit velocity of 95 mph or harder on 25% of pitches he saw that landed middle-middle, and his next best zone was middle-down, where he did so at an 18% rate.

When pitchers missed, Ward didn’t.

“Just keeping things simple and getting it in the middle, however I can funnel it to the middle with being able to hit multiple pitches,” Ward said. “That’s just something I’ve done over my career. Who knows, this year could be different. I think there’s no telling what that could be at the end of the year. Just going up there with a plan, and if I need to gather information early, then that’s what I’ll do.”

While Ward may be too patient at times, his selective nature and ability to mash mistakes are areas the rest of the lineup could improve on.

Baltimore’s in-zone contact percentage in 2025 was 80.8%, which tied for the fourth lowest in the majors. They swung at meatballs — what Statcast calls middle-middle offerings — a middle-of-the-road 76.6% of the time, and their .329 average against down-the-middle pitches ranked 20th.

Ward hit .395 when swinging against those pitches in 2025, with a 1.123 slugging percentage.

Only outfielder Colton Cowser’s 1.067 slugging percentage on middle-middle pitches came close to Ward’s damage among current Orioles. Catcher Adley Rutschman, with an .821 slugging percentage against those pitches, was second among current members of the roster (outfielder Ramón Laureano, who was traded in late July, posted a .909 slugging percentage in those situations).

“There’s a lot to like with Taylor Ward,” Elias said last week. “He’s actually somebody that we’ve been chasing for at least for a couple years, just because of the profile, the big right-handed power.”

Ward isn’t platoon-oriented, although he does bring more sting to the lineup against left-handed pitching. That was another area Baltimore needed to bolster, particularly because outfielder Tyler O’Neill (who, when healthy, has a similar profile to Ward) was a nonfactor last year.

The trade initially caught Ward by surprise, but in the days since it occurred, the 31-year-old has grown more excited about life in Baltimore. He overlapped with former Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin in high school in Florida, and he and Eflin talked about what to expect from the Orioles. (First baseman Ryan Mountcastle is an alumnus of the same school.)

Ward also talked with manager Craig Albernaz and hitting coach Dustin Lind, whom he described as “fiery guys.”

The conversations left Ward “excited to get down there, get to talk to them more, build those relationships” during spring training. From afar, he saw the Orioles as an up-and-coming contender, and now Ward is a part of it.

“The whole group is a solid group, a lot of young players,” Ward said. “Just excited to step in and help produce in that lineup. I just think, as always, even with the Angels, just guys got to stay healthy. I think that’s just the biggest thing. But this team’s definitely capable of making a deep playoff run, and I’m excited to join that.”