Zach Ward Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Zachary McNeil Ward
Born 01/14/1984 in Concord, NC
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 250 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Gardner-Webb
Drafted in the 3rd round (92nd overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2005 (signed for $420,000).

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Ward was unheralded out of high school and began to emerge as a prospect while pitching in American Legion ball the summer after his freshman year in college. Ward first attracted attention for his slider, but he has since earned attention and outs with two potential plus pitches. His fastball reaches the low 90s with good sink, and his breaking ball has morphed from his high school slider to a power curveball. Add in a show-me change, and Ward has a chance to throw three pitches for strikes from a durable, innings-eating body. He was dominant in the Cape Cod League last summer, striking out 57 in 43 innings, yet failed to dominate the Atlantic Sun Conference this spring. Ward was used heavily (five of his 15 starts were complete games) and at times lacked command of his fastball, leading to 49 walks in 109 innings and 19 wild pitches. He has a short-arm delivery reminiscent of the late Darryl Kile, and some scouts think it will lead to an arm injury unless Ward moves to the bullpen, where he could concentrate on his fastball and curve.

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Ward hardly attracted a second look coming out of high school, but jumped from a mid-80s project as an incoming freshman to a mid-90s fireballer in the course of one year after Gardner-Webb coaches worked on developing his arm strength. He dominated the Cape Cod League in 2004 and became Gardner-Webb's highest-drafted player ever as a third-rounder in 2005. After being used heavily in the spring, Ward didn't pitch in the minors after signing for $420,000. When he did take the mound during instructional league, the Reds were impressed with his 93-94 mph fastball and his plus slider, which sits around 86- 87 mph. His changeup has a long ways to go, though it could become a usable third pitch. The concerns about Ward stem from his mechanics. Ward has a "bow-and-arrow" delivery in which he simply rears back and fires. He also short-arms the ball, reminding some scouts of Red Sox reliever Keith Foulke. Despite that, Ward was durable in college and has a strong frame. The Reds plan to see if he can develop into a middle-of-the-rotation starter. If that doesn't work, his fastball-slider combo could make him a closer or late-inning setup man. He'll probably make his pro debut in low Class A.