Drew Ward

Drew C. Ward (born November 25, 1994) is an American professional baseball third baseman in the Washington Nationals organization of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Ward was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the third round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft out of Leedey High School in Leedey, Oklahoma. He signed with the Nationals and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Nationals, where he posted a .292 batting average with one home run and 28 RBIs. In 2014, he played for the Hagerstown Suns. where batted .269 with 10 homers and 73 RBIs. Ward spent 2015 with the Potomac Nationals, where he posted a .249 batting average along with six home runs and 47 RBIs. Ward began 2016 with Potomac, and was later promoted to the Harrisburg Senators, where he posted a combined .252 batting average with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs between the two clubs.

Ward was assigned to the Arizona Fall League for the second straight year after the 2016 season. He played for the Glendale Desert Dogs alongside several other Nationals prospects, including Senators teammate Andrew Stevenson, and hit .309 over 21 games, recording at least one hit in 19 of them; his 25 hits were second on the team to Stevenson's 30. Ward also received positive reviews for his defensive improvements at third base, where he committed three errors in his first week of fall action and then zero over the remaining five and a half weeks. Both Ward and Stevenson were named to the 2016 AFL Top Prospects Team.

While Ward has played exclusively at third base in the minor leagues through the 2016 season, he played shortstop in high school, and due to his large build—he stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 215 lbs—he may end up moving across the diamond to first base at some point in the future. Ward told The Washington Post in 2015 that he is willing to become a first baseman if that is where he is needed to play in the major leagues, but he plans to stay at third base "for as long as possible". After seeing Ward in action during the first half of the Nationals' spring training camp in 2017, manager Dusty Baker said Ward would begin playing some first base as he continues his development in the minor leagues.

Ward is described as a power hitter. He hits left-handed. During the 2016 season, he began incorporating a leg kick into his swing, which he credits with improving his rhythm and timing at the plate.

Both Ward and Nationals relief pitcher Koda Glover, who were teammates for part of the 2016 season with the Potomac Nationals, are Native American and grew up in Oklahoma, where they competed together and against one another at high school invitational games.

Ward was invited to participate in major league spring training ahead of the 2017 Washington Nationals season. His hitting drew the attention of manager Dusty Baker before he was reassigned to minor league camp on March 13. Baker said Ward would begin working out at first base as well as third base. He spent 2017 with the Harrisburg Senators where he posted a .235 batting average with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs.