DARYLE WARD

6/27/75; '94 15th (Detroit); Rancho Santiago (CA) JC
L/L; 6-2, 240

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
1994 R (Det)
.267
.343
.398
161
6
0
5
19
33
5
1
1995 A (Det)
.284
.344
.426
524
32
0
14
46
111
1
2
1996 AAA (Det)
.174
.174
.174
23
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
1996 A+ (Det)
.291
.373
.435
464
29
4
10
57
77
1
1
1997 AAA (Hou)
.375
.451
.521
48
1
0
2
7
7
0
0
1997 AA (Hou)
.329
.398
.524
422
25
0
19
46
68
4
2
1998 NL (Hou)
.333
.500
.333
3
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
1998 AAA (Hou)
.305
.361
.525
463
31
1
23
41
78
2
0
1999 NL (Hou)
.273
.311
.473
150
6
0
8
9
31
0
0
1999 AAA (Hou)
.353
.416
.772
241
15
1
28
23
43
1
1
2000 NL (Hou)
.258
.295
.538
263
10
2
20
15
61
0
0
2001 NL (Hou)
.263
.323
.460
213
15
0
9
19
48
0
0
2002 NL (Hou)
.276
.324
.424
453
31
0
12
33
82
1
3
2003 NL (LA)
.183
.211
.193
109
1
0
0
3
19
0
0
2003 AAA (LA)
.297
.343
.461
128
9
0
4
10
22
0
0
2003 AA (LA)
.125
.125
.125
16
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
2004 NL
.249
.305
.474
293
17
2
15
22
45
0
0
2004 AAA
.281
.317
.573
96
7
0
7
5
16
0
0

Ward was once considered a promising young power hitter, but he declined steadily from his strong showing in 2000, leading to a complete collapse in 2003. The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract and gave him a chance to win a major league job as a part-time 1B and OF, but he showed up at camp out of shape and didn't hit. He was reassigned to Nashville and reported there after considering retirement. His contract required the Pirates to release him if he wasn't on the major league roster by May 15. He hit very well in AAA and the Bucs called him up on May 11 when Raul Mondesi deserted them. Ward by then had lost weight and he got red hot when he joined the Pirates. In his first 18 games, he hit 387/434/760, even hitting for the cycle against St. Louis. After that, he hit 207/264/351. He hit a miserable 198/219/363 in June, then missed the month of July with a torn ligament in his thumb. He opted for rest over season-ending surgery, then returned part way through August and hit well, 250/321/625. He collapsed in September and October, though, posting an OPS below .600. His abysmal on-base skills crippled the Pirates' lineup for extended stretches due to Lloyd McClendon's insistence on batting him 3rd for much of the season. One problem that limited him may have been a sore wrist. He was scheduled to have tests after the season to determine whether he needed surgery. Ward's hitting clearly is limited by his refusal to take pitches. He rarely walks; the fact that he doesn't strike out very much is a testament to his natural ability. Like many Pirate hitters, Ward saw fewer and fewer pitches in the strike zone as the season wore on, as pitchers discovered he would chase most anything. He's a defensive liability at 1B, as he has little mobility and doesn't react well when he has a choice of throwing to one or more bases or stepping on first. He's played in the OF, but has no business at all there. He played mainly OF in Houston due to the presence of Jeff Bagwell. Lloyd McClendon played him there a few times due to an inexplicable desire to keep Randall Simon in the lineup. He's a very slow runner. The Pirates avoided arbitration with Ward by signing him to a one-year contract for slightly under $1M. His usefulness for 2005 is questionable; there isn't a lot of reason to believe he'll provide anything beyond modest power with poor on-base skills and defense, and there's significant risk that he'll collapse completely again. The Pirates have asked him to lose more weight this off-season and the indications over the winter were that he was doing so. The acquisition of Matt Lawton left his role in considerable doubt, because the Pirates made it clear they intended to play Lawton in RF and move Craig Wilson to 1B. Ward opened 2005 as a bat off the bench and occasional starter at 1B. The more Tike Redman struggles, the more he's likely to play, as Wilson will move to LF and Jason Bay to CF.

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