Taylor Ward got his promotion from Orem and hit I-15, soon glimpsing the lights of Smith’s Ballpark, on his way to the airport. Next stop: Burlington, Iowa, the smallest town in America that fields a full-season professional baseball team.
The 38 miles from Orem to Salt Lake City represent a long trek in the Los Angeles Angels' organization, spanning three levels of pro baseball. Smith's Ballpark is not the players' ultimate destination, but it is a meaningful checkpoint in the journey from the rookie-league Owlz to the majors.
As he sat in the dugout last week, Ward remembered that drive in the summer of 2015, when he pictured himself playing for Salt Lake.