Daryle Ward
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Daryle Ward (born June 27, 1975 in Lynwood, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder/first baseman and left-hander batter who plays for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Ward was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 1994 amateur draft. He is the son of former major leaguer Gary Ward.
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Career
Ward came to the Houston Astros in December 1996 as part of a massive 10-player trade with Detroit. He made a strong debut in 2000 by hitting 20 home runs in just 264 at-bats. In his second season for the Astros, Ward batted .263 with 9 home runs and 39 RBI in 95 games. The next year he went for .276, 12, 72 in 136 games. After the season he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Although the Dodgers praised his versatility and his power-hitting potential, Ward forced himself into a part-time role in 2003 by hitting an abysmal .183 with one extra base hit (a double) in 109 at-bats. After the season, the Dodgers released Ward, and the Pirates signed him as a minor league free agent in hopes he could revive his career. Fulfilling the Pirates' hopes to some extent, Ward rebounded somewhat, and the Pirates re-signed him for 2005 as their part-time first baseman.
Ward has very good raw power and a pretty swing, but his lack of plate discipline has handicapped his development as a hitter. He does not strike out a great deal, but he also rarely walks, and does a poor job of waiting for an appropriate pitch to drive. He thrives on low fastballs, but will often swing at poor pitches outside the strike zone and get himself out. Ward has struggled with weight issues for much of his career, and his size makes him a slow baserunner. Defensively, he is at best average at first base, and a liability in the outfield.
In 549 career games played, Ward has batted .259 (384-1485), with 65 HRs, 254 RBI, 155 runs, 80 doubles and four triples, with an on base percentage (OBP) of .306 and slugging percentage (SLG) of .447.
2004 season
After being called up from the Triple-A Nashville Sounds to replace Raúl Mondesí, Ward got off to a torrid start. On May 26, 2004 Ward, recalled from the Triple-A Nashville Sounds two weeks before, hit for the cycle and tied his career high with six RBI in the Pirates' 11-8 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Ward hit a two-run double in the first, an RBI triple in the fourth, golfed a three-run homer in the fifth and singled in the ninth. He was the first Pittsburgh player to hit for the cycle since Jason Kendall on May 19, 2000, against the Cardinals. It has been done 23 times in club history and 243 times since 1882.
Ward joined his father, Gary, to become the first father-son combination in major league history to hit for the cycle. The older Ward accomplished the feat on September 18, 1980, for the Minnesota Twins.
Ward slumped later in the season, slowed down by a wrist injury, and finished hitting .249 with 15 HR and 57 RBI, with a .306 OBP and .474 SLG.
See also
External links
- Complete career statistics at Baseball Reference (http://www.baseball-reference.com/w/wardda01.shtml)
- 2004 statistics at ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6002)
- Daryle Ward Sucks (http://www.darylewardsucks.com) - Baseball satire based around Daryle Ward's career