Thad Ward

Thad Ward

26-Year-Old PitcherRP
Washington Nationals
2023 Fantasy Outlook
The Red Sox opted not to add Ward to their 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft, and he was selected No. 1 overall by the Nationals. Washington will need to keep the 26-year-old on the big-league roster for the full 2023 campaign to retain his rights, so he's all but guaranteed to debut this season. Ward missed most of 2022 while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he returned in August and should be fully healthy for the start of camp. His long-term outlook is still that of a starter, but Ward could be limited to more of a long-relief role in 2023 as he builds his arm strength back up, so he's unlikely to have much fantasy relevance this year. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#601
ADP
$Signed a contract with the Red Sox in June of 2018. Selected by the Nationals in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft in December of 2022.
Still in running for bullpen spot
PWashington Nationals
March 22, 2023
Ward remains in the mix to break camp as part of the Nationals' Opening Day bullpen, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
A Rule 5 pick, Ward would have to be offered back to the Red Sox if he doesn't make the roster, giving the Nats extra incentive to find room for him. The 26-year-old right-hander hasn't been a reliever since college and the adjustment to the bullpen this spring hasn't exactly been smooth -- seven of his eight Grapefruit League appearances have been scoreless, but his 11:6 K:BB through 8.2 innings highlights both his upside and his inconsistency. Ward's future might still lie in the rotation, but if he sticks in Washington, expect him to be used primarily as a low-leverage long reliever to begin his big-league career.
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Pitching Stats
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2023
2023 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
25
Last 10 Games
21
Last 5 Games
20
How many pitches does Thad Ward generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does Thad Ward generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
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8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
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9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-45%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-45%
BAA vs RHP
2022
No Stats
2021
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2021vs Left .194 39 5 8 6 2 0 3
Since 2021vs Right .107 35 11 7 3 0 0 0
2023vs Left .194 39 5 8 6 2 0 3
2023vs Right .107 35 11 7 3 0 0 0
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
 
 
-41%
ERA at Home
2023
 
 
-41%
ERA at Home
2022
No Stats
2021
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2021Home 3.95 1.24 13.2 0 0 0 8.6 6.6 1.3
Since 2021Away 6.75 1.75 4.0 0 0 0 6.8 11.3 2.3
2023Home 3.95 1.24 13.2 0 0 0 8.6 6.6 1.3
2023Away 6.75 1.75 4.0 0 0 0 6.8 11.3 2.3
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Stat Review
How does Thad Ward compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
1.07
 
K/9
8.2
 
BB/9
7.6
 
HR/9
1.5
 
Fastball
92.9 mph
 
ERA
4.58
 
WHIP
1.36
 
BABIP
.151
 
GB/FB
1.06
 
Left On Base
75.8%
 
Exit Velocity
79.8 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
8.0%
 
Spin Rate
2310 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
20.5%
 
Swinging Strike
8.1%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Thad Ward See More
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76 days ago
James Anderson updates his pitching prospect tiers for 2023 value only, in which he explains why he is not paying the price to roster Orioles righty Grayson Rodriguez.
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96 days ago
James Anderson pinpoints relievers and potential relievers from the minor leagues who could develop into the next great fantasy baseball closer, including recent Angels draftee Ben Joyce.
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121 days ago
James Anderson ranks rookie pitchers for 2023 value within tiers, and Astros righty Hunter Brown is one of four pitchers in the top tier.
MLB: Notable Assignments for AL Prospects
April 22, 2022
James Anderson breaks down all the notable assignments for AL prospects and shares his excitement over Royce Lewis' hot start at Triple-A.
Minor League Barometer: Risers & Fallers
June 8, 2021
Jesse Siegel is back with a few updates, including a Braves phenom with plenty of potential.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
Ward was one of the more surprising omissions from his team's alternate training site, which suggests the Red Sox don't quite buy into what looked like a mini breakout in 2019. A reliever in college, Ward logged a 1.67 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 127:45 K:BB in 102.1 innings over his final 20 starts in 2019, split between Low-A and High-A. The 6-foot-3, 193-pound righty's plus slider headlines a five-pitch mix -- he also throws a four-seamer, sinker, cutter and changeup. He spent 2020 working out on his own and specifically worked on refining his changeup, which will be an important pitch for him to neutralize left-handed hitters. His command and control are what will determine whether he makes it as a starter or a reliever. He has a starter's delivery, but currently only displays fringe-average command. Ward should head to Double-A this year and will look to put himself in the big-league rotation mix for 2022.
Ward has one of the best sliders in the minors and logged a 1.67 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 127:45 K:BB in 102.1 innings over his final 20 starts, split between Low-A and High-A. The 6-foot-3 righty primarily worked as a reliever at Central Florida, so the Red Sox were able to wait until the fifth round of the 2018 draft before selecting him. Since signing, his stuff has ticked up, with his low-90s sinker touching 97 mph for the first time in 2019. Ward throws a plus cutter that is a distinctly different pitch from his slider. He also mixes in a curveball and changeup. It is clearly a starter's pitch mix and a starter's delivery, so as long as Ward's command and control improve slightly over the next couple years, he should have no problem sticking in the rotation. He is a sleeper this offseason, but the hype is building and could reach a crescendo if his stuff holds in his second full pro season.
More Fantasy News
Selected by Washington
PWashington Nationals
December 7, 2022
Ward was selected by the Nationals with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Overcomes oblique strain
PBoston Red Sox
November 2, 2022
Ward (oblique) is expected to make his return to action in the Arizona Fall League later this week, Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Exits AFL start
PBoston Red Sox
Side
October 12, 2022
Ward was removed from his start Monday in the Arizona Fall League due to side discomfort, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Good to go for Portland
PBoston Red Sox
August 4, 2022
Double-A Portland activated Ward (elbow) from its 60-day injured list in advance of his season debut for the affiliate Thursday against Erie, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.
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Rehabbing at High-A
PBoston Red Sox
Elbow
August 1, 2022
Ward (elbow) made his most recent rehab appearance Saturday for High-A Greenville, covering four innings and striking out three while allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk.
ANALYSIS
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