Daryle Ward
From Sports Library
| Chicago Cubs — No. 12 | |
| First Baseman | |
| Born: June 27 1975 (age 33) | |
|---|---|
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| May 14, 1998 for the Houston Astros | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2006) |
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| AVG | .262 |
| HR | 83 |
| RBI | 343 |
| Former teams | |
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Daryle Ward (born June 27, 1975 in Lynwood, California) is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs. He bats and throws left-handed. The 6-foot-2, 240 pound (109 kg) 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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Professional career
Ward came to the Houston Astros in December 1996 as part of a ten-player trade with Detroit. He debuted in 2000, 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.
Ward spent 2003 in a part-time role, hitting .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. Ward played better in 2004, and the Pirates re-signed him for 2005 as their part-time first baseman. Ward has signed on to become a member of the Chicago Cubs bench for 2007. 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. Ward, along with Valerio de los Santos, signed a deal to play with the Nationals, .
2006 season
On August 31, 2006, Ward was traded to the Atlanta Braves for minor-league pitcher Luis Atilano.
2007 season
Signed on Dec 7, 2006 by the Chicago Cubs for a one year deal worth $1.05M after hitting .308 with a .380 OBP in 2006 for Washington and Atlanta in 150 plate appearances. He will replace John Mabry as backup at 1st base for Derrek Lee. In a game on May 6, 2007, Ward hit a game winning single against his former team, the Washington Nationals. He was also called to replace Derrek Lee on May 13, 2007, after he left the game with neck spasms.
Trivia
- Ward is the only player to hit a home run out of Pittsburgh's PNC Park and into the Allegheny River on the fly—a truly "Stargellesque" blast—in a regular season game, a feat he accomplished in 2003 as a member of the Houston Astros. Many Home Runs have made the river on the bounce, and several home runs hit during the 2006 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby made the river on the fly as well, creating speculation of juiced balls.
See also
External links
| 2007 National League Central Champion Chicago Cubs Starting Lineup: 1. Alfonso Soriano LF | 2. Ryan Theriot SS | 3. Derrek Lee 1B | 4. Aramis Ramirez 3B | 5. Cliff Floyd/Matt Murton RF | 6. Mark DeRosa 2B | 7. Jacque Jones CF | 8. Jason Kendall/Geovany Soto C Starting Pitchers: Carlos Zambrano | Ted Lilly | Rich Hill | Jason Marquis | Sean Marshall | Steve Trachsel |
Categories: 1975 births | Living people | Major league first basemen | Major league left fielders | Houston Astros players | Los Angeles Dodgers players | Pittsburgh Pirates players | Chicago Cubs players | Baseball players who have hit for the cycle | Major league players from California | African American baseball players
