Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Thad Ward was born January 16, 1997, in Fort Myers, Florida. He is a pitcher in the MLB.

Ward attended Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Florida, and played college baseball at the University of Central Florida. He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.

Ward made his professional debut with the Lowell Spinners during the 2018 season, appearing in 11 games (all starts) with an 0–3 record and 3.77 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 31 innings. He spent 2019 with the Greenville Drive and Salem Red Sox, pitching to an overall 8–5 record with 2.14 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 126+1⁄3 innings. He was named the Red Sox' minor league pitcher of the year for 2019. After the 2020 minor league season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was invited to participate in the Red Sox' fall instructional league. Following the 2020 season, Ward was ranked by Baseball America as the Red Sox' number 10 prospect. Ward began the 2021 season in Double-A with the Portland Sea Dogs. He made two starts, striking out 11 batters in eight innings while allowing five runs (5.63 ERA).

On December 7, 2022, Ward was selected by the Washington Nationals with the first pick in the 2022 Rule 5 draft. Ward made the Nationals’ roster out of spring training in 2023.