Preston Ward

Born: 7/24/1927 in Columbia, MO, USA

Died: 6/2/2013 in Las Vegas, NV, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-04-20 | Final Game: 1959-08-18

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 190 lbs

Full name: Preston Meyer Ward

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Biography

Preston Ward was a professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959. Born in 1927, Ward made a significant impact as a position player during his career, participating in 744 games. He showcased his offensive skills with a total of 522 hits, contributing 50 home runs and driving in 262 runs. His batting average settled at .253, reflecting his role as a solid, if not star, contributor to his teams. Ward's career unfolded during a transformative period in baseball, transitioning from the late stages of the deadball era into a time of increasing offensive production. Known for his steady presence in the lineup, he also demonstrated speed on the base paths, recording 7 stolen bases. Throughout his tenure, Ward played for several teams, leaving a legacy as a dependable player who contributed to the evolution of the game's offensive dynamics in the late 1950s.

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
744	2067	219	522	83	15	50	262	7	231	315	0.253	0.326	0.380	0.706	-1301.0

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .380 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.706 vs. league average 0.725 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1948	BRO	NL	42	146	9	38	9	2	1	21	0	15	23	0.260	.263 (-1%)	.340 (-3%)	.379 (-2%)	.719 (-3%)	-90.7
1950	CHC	NL	80	285	31	72	11	2	6	33	3	27	42	0.253	.265 (-5%)	.346 (-8%)	.401 (-8%)	.747 (-8%)	-484.2
1953	CHC	NL	33	100	10	23	5	0	4	12	3	18	21	0.230	.264 (-13%)	.335 (+3%)	.397 (+1%)	.733 (+2%)	62.3
1953	PIT	NL	88	281	35	59	7	1	8	27	1	44	39	0.210	.264 (-21%)	.335 (-5%)	.397 (-18%)	.733 (-12%)	62.3
1954	PIT	NL	117	360	37	97	16	2	7	48	0	39	61	0.269	.261 (+3%)	.333 (+1%)	.390 (-2%)	.723 (avg)	-16.2
1955	PIT	NL	84	179	16	38	7	4	5	25	0	22	28	0.212	.258 (-18%)	.332 (-11%)	.393 (-4%)	.726 (-7%)	-285.2
1956	PIT	NL	16	30	3	10	0	1	1	11	0	6	4	0.333	—	—	—	—	0.0
1956	CLE	AL	87	150	18	38	10	0	6	21	0	16	20	0.253	.258 (-2%)	.331 (-2%)	.397 (+11%)	.728 (+5%)	0.0
1957	CLE	AL	10	11	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.182	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	CLE	AL	48	148	22	50	3	1	4	21	0	10	27	0.338	.257 (+31%)	.324 (+17%)	.394 (+15%)	.719 (+16%)	406.0
1958	KC1	AL	81	268	28	68	10	1	6	24	0	27	36	0.254	.257 (-2%)	.324 (-2%)	.394 (-7%)	.719 (-5%)	406.0
1959	KC1	AL	58	109	8	27	4	1	2	19	0	7	12	0.248	.256 (-3%)	.323 (-12%)	.392 (-9%)	.715 (-10%)	-237.6

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1B	438	169	3337	297	31	319
3B	74	62	49	104	13	6
OF	95	63	157	9	9	3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1948	BRO	1B	38	0	268	20	3	21
1950	CHN	1B	76	0	734	73	4	78
1953	CHN	1B	7	0	49	1	0	9
1953	CHN	OF	27	0	49	0	2	0
1953	PIT	1B	78	0	693	64	7	65
1954	PIT	1B	48	38	338	41	6	31
1954	PIT	3B	11	12	7	20	3	0
1954	PIT	OF	42	41	74	8	6	3
1955	PIT	1B	48	38	384	35	1	41
1955	PIT	OF	1	1	0	0	0	0
1956	PIT	3B	5	5	3	3	0	0
1956	PIT	OF	5	4	2	0	0	0
1956	CLE	1B	60	16	226	21	3	20
1956	CLE	OF	17	14	29	1	0	0
1957	CLE	1B	1	0	3	0	0	0
1958	CLE	1B	21	18	135	12	0	12
1958	CLE	3B	24	14	16	28	2	2
1958	KC1	1B	39	39	346	23	4	28
1958	KC1	3B	34	31	23	53	8	4
1958	KC1	OF	2	2	3	0	0	0
1959	KC1	1B	22	20	161	7	3	14
1959	KC1	OF	1	1	0	0	1	0