Drew Ward Stats & Scouting Report

AB	81
AVG	.284
OBP	.337
SLG	.432
HR	3

Full name Drew C. Ward
Born 11/25/1994 in Leedey, OK
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 231 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Leedey
Drafted in the 3rd round (105th overall) by the Washington Nationals in 2013 (signed for $850,000).

View Draft Report

Ward successfully lobbied Major League Baseball to make him eligible for the 2013 draft after his third year of high school, with the last step being graduating from Leedey High on May 17 (and thus exhausting his athletic eligibility). Scouts have had a difficult time evaluating him because they didn't bear down on him last summer, thinking he wouldn't enter the draft until 2014, and because his level of competition among Oklahoma Class B high schools (six levels below the top level, 6A) is so poor. He suffers in comparison to the last player to go into the draft after what would have been his third high school year: Bryce Harper, who passed GED tests and went to junior college to become eligible for the 2010 draft. But to be fair, almost any teenager would. Ward's best tool is his lefthanded power, and scouts who like him think it could make him a second-round pick. Skeptics think he generates his pop more with strength than bat speed and see him as more of a one-trick pony. There's also a difference of opinion on where the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder will fit in pro ball. Currently a shortstop with a strong arm, he's a below-average runner and athlete. The best-case scenario is that he can stick at third base, but some scouts believe he'll be limited to first base. He'd have an intriguing ceiling as a catcher if a team moved him behind the plate. Ward has committed to Oklahoma, though it's hard to imagine him turning down pro ball after working so hard to become draft-eligible.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: The Nationals selected Ward in the third round of the 2013 draft and signed him for $850,000 after he showed impressive power from the left side and graduated from high school in three years. Six minor league seasons later and Ward finally got his first taste of Triple-A, after three years spending time in Double-A.

Scouting Report: Ward has hit double-digit home runs in each of the last three years, but he's continued to struggle with strikeouts--he has a 25.9 career minor league strikeout percentage--and struggled mightily in an admittedly short, 17-game stint in the International League. While he's continued to swing-and-miss at a high rate, Ward remains a patient hitter and walked 14 percent of the time in Harrisburg and 11 percent in Syracuse. He spent a majority of his time at first base after playing primarily third throughout his previous five seasons, which will hurt his value moving forward. Ward has solid-average arm strength but lacks quickness side-to-side as a below-average runner.

The Future: While Ward hasn't developed as Washington might have hoped offensively, he still has solid-average power and on-base skills that might allow him to turn the corner. After turning 24 in November, Ward was more than three years younger than the average hitter in the International League.
Ward completed his first full season at Double-A in 2017 after reaching Harrisburg for the first time in late June 2016. His second look in the league didn't improve his strikeout problem. Ward struck out at a career-high rate of 27 percent in 2017, though he did walk more than the Eastern League average. He routinely failed to get into hitting position with good timing, which resulted in lots of swings and misses in the strike zone. Nationals evaluators think that his swing-and-miss issues are more timing-based than mechanics-based and when at his best, Ward showcases power to all fields. Defensively, he has limited range as a below-average runner but has solid hands and makes accurate throws with average to above-average arm strength. With a big, physical frame, first base might become his position down the line given his lack of quickness. At first base, Ward's hit tool issues will become an even bigger question mark. A return to Double-A is a possibility for 2018.
Originally on track to finish high school in 2014, Ward sped up his graduation timetable and entered the 2013 draft. Since reclassifying, he has been young at every level and held his own, reaching Double-A Harrisburg in 2016 as a 21-year-old and finishing with a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. As an amateur Ward was known mostly for his power. While it took him a while to start tapping into it in the minor leagues, he began to find his power stroke in 2016 and hit a career-high 14 home runs. With his power comes a fair amount of swing-and-miss, and he has struck out in 25 percent of his plate appearances as a professional. Ward balances that with an ability to work his way into hitter's counts and has enough feel for the barrel to eventually cut his strikeout rate to a more palatable level. He has made strides defensively at third base, increasing his chances of staying at the hot corner in the long run. His below-average speed limits his range, but he has the arm strength and hands for the position. Ward will return to Harrisburg to begin 2017, looking to build on his AFL performance.
Originally on track to finish high school in 2014, Ward would have been one of the oldest prep players in his draft class. Instead, he sped up his graduation timetable and entered the 2013 draft, where the Nationals selected him in the third round and signed him for $850,000. Since reclassifying, Ward has been young for his level and has held his own, but he has yet to break out. As an amateur, he was known mostly for his power, but he's shown a more consistent approach as a pro. Ward has struck out in onequarter of his pro plate appearances, but he balances an excessive whiff rate with an ability to work his way into hitter's counts. His feel for the barrel should help him cut down on his strikeouts as he gains more experience. He has above-average raw power, but employs more of a line-drive stroke and hasn't tapped into his pop yet. Defensively, Ward remains a work in progress. He has the arm strength and hands for third base, but his lack of athleticism limits his range, and he may eventually move across the diamond. Ward will face a stiff test when he advances to Double-A Harrisburg in 2016.
Ward is young for his level after he graduated high school a year early and successfully lobbied Major League Baseball to make him eligible for the 2013 draft. He held his own at low Class A Hagerstown as a 19-year-old in 2014, and the Nationals were pleased with the way he maintained a consistent approach. Ward's calling card is his lefthanded bat. He has good feel for his barrel and can spray hard line drives from the left-center field gap to the right-field line. He has a calm two-strike approach and recognizes pitches well enough that he should draw his share of walks, and he could develop into at least a solid-average hitter. Ward is learning to create more length and leverage in his swing to unlock his above-average raw power, which mostly plays to the pull side currently. He is still growing into his body, and his size-16 shoes suggest he could outgrow third base, but he made progress at the position in 2014. A well below-average runner, Ward's lateral mobility and footwork is just adequate currently, but his hands work and his solid-average arm is accurate. Ward has a chance to hit enough to become an everyday first baseman down the road, assuming he outgrows the hot corner as most evaluators expect. He'll advance to high Class A Potomac in 2015.
Ward graduated high school a year early and successfully lobbied Major League Baseball to make him eligible for the 2013 draft. Area scouts in Oklahoma had a difficult time getting a handle on him because his high school competition was exceedingly weak. Still, the Nationals bought him out of an Oklahoma commitment with an $850,000 bonus as a third-round pick, and he had a strong debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. A high school shortstop, Ward shifted to third base in pro ball, and he showed soft hands and good instincts at the position, though his footwork needs plenty of refinement. Like Matt Skole, Ward has the arm strength for the hot corner and has at least a chance to stick at the position, but like Skole he seems destined for first base as he grows into his big frame. He impressed the Nationals in 2013 with his simple offensive approach and ability to control the strike zone as an 18-year-old. He showed he can hit good velocity and hold his own against breaking balls, giving him at least a chance to be a plus hitter down the road. He has a doubles-oriented approach currently, but he has plus raw power and time on his side. Ward has the potential to be a quality everyday player at an infield corner or perhaps an outfield corner. The next step figures to be the short-season New York-Penn League, though he could push his way to low Class A Hagerstown in 2014.

Draft Prospects

Ward successfully lobbied Major League Baseball to make him eligible for the 2013 draft after his third year of high school, with the last step being graduating from Leedey High on May 17 (and thus exhausting his athletic eligibility). Scouts have had a difficult time evaluating him because they didn't bear down on him last summer, thinking he wouldn't enter the draft until 2014, and because his level of competition among Oklahoma Class B high schools (six levels below the top level, 6A) is so poor. He suffers in comparison to the last player to go into the draft after what would have been his third high school year: Bryce Harper, who passed GED tests and went to junior college to become eligible for the 2010 draft. But to be fair, almost any teenager would. Ward's best tool is his lefthanded power, and scouts who like him think it could make him a second-round pick. Skeptics think he generates his pop more with strength than bat speed and see him as more of a one-trick pony. There's also a difference of opinion on where the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder will fit in pro ball. Currently a shortstop with a strong arm, he's a below-average runner and athlete. The best-case scenario is that he can stick at third base, but some scouts believe he'll be limited to first base. He'd have an intriguing ceiling as a catcher if a team moved him behind the plate. Ward has committed to Oklahoma, though it's hard to imagine him turning down pro ball after working so hard to become draft-eligible.