Preston Ward
From BR Bullpen
Preston Meyer Ward
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 3", Weight 198 lb.
[edit] Biographical Information
Preston Ward played nine seasons in the big leagues between 1948 and 1959. Mostly a first baseman, he also played 95 games in the outfield and 74 at third base. In September, 1958, he hit three home runs in three at-bats against the Baltimore Orioles.
One year younger than Duke Snider, Preston broke in with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1948, the same year that Roy Campanella played his first year with them.
Ward missed the 1951-1952 seasons due to military service. In the summer of 1953, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the trade that brought Ralph Kiner to the Chicago Cubs.
He hit .269 on a 1954 Pittsburgh Pirates team that hit .248.
In 1958, he hit .284 with 10 home runs in 129 games split between the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Athletics.
- He was a star in the Western League in 1947.
- Carl Erskine remembered Preston Ward playing in the III League.
