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Turner Ward

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Turner Ward
Outfielder
Born: (1965-04-11) April 11, 1965 (age 59)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Batted: Switch
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 10, 1990, for the Cleveland Indians
Last MLB appearance
July 27, 2001, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Batting average.251
Home runs39
Runs batted in219
Teams
As player
As coach
Career highlights and awards

Turner Max Ward (born April 11, 1965) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies from 1990 to 2001. He most recently served as the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2023 to 2024.

Ward was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.[1]

Playing career

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Cleveland Indians (1990–1991)

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Ward was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 18th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball draft. On March 19, 1989, the Yankees traded Ward and Joel Skinner to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Mel Hall.

Ward made his Major League Baseball debut with the Indians on September 10, 1990, as he went 0–for–4 while playing in right field in a 6–2 loss to the Chicago White Sox. On September 12, Ward earned his first career hit off Steve Rosenberg of the White Sox. In his third career game on September 15, Ward went 3–for–5 with a triple, home run and six RBI in a 14–6 win over the Kansas City Royals. Ward hit his first career home run off Andy McGaffigan. Ward finished the season with a .348 batting average with one home run and 10 RBI in 14 games with Cleveland.

Ward began the 1991 season as the Indians starting right fielder, however, he got off to a slow start, batting .230 with no home runs and 5 RBI in 40 games. On June 27, the Indians traded Ward and Tom Candiotti to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Denis Boucher, Glenallen Hill, Mark Whiten, and cash.

Toronto Blue Jays (1991–1993)

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Ward spent most of his time with the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple–A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League, however, he was a September call-up, and in eight games with Toronto, Ward hit .308 with no home runs and two RBI in 13 at–bats.

Ward once again saw very limited action in 1992 with Toronto, playing in 18 games, where he hit .345 with one home run and three RBI. He did not play in any playoff games as Toronto won the 1992 World Series.

In 1993, Ward got into 72 games with the Blue Jays, however, he struggled offensively, batting .192 with four home runs and 28 RBI. He once again did not see any playing time in the post-season, as the Blue Jays repeated as champions by winning the 1993 World Series.

Milwaukee Brewers (1994–1996)

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On November 24, 1993, Ward was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers off waivers.

Ward became an everyday player with the Milwaukee Brewers during the 1994 season, splitting his time between all three outfield positions with the club. He played in 102 games, batting .232 with nine home runs and 45 RBI before the season was cut short due to the 1994 MLB strike.

Ward saw his playing time decrease rapidly in 1995, as he played in only 44 games, batting .264 with four home runs and 16 RBI with the Brewers.

In 1996, Ward played in 43 games, hitting only .179 with two home runs and 10 RBI. On November 1, the Brewers released Ward.

Pittsburgh Pirates (1997–1999)

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Ward had a very productive 1997 season as the Pittsburgh Pirates' fourth outfielder, as he played in 71 games, batting .353 with seven home runs and 33 RBI.

On May 3, 1998, Ward broke through the right field wall at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh while chasing a fly ball. The spectacular catch that resulted was a staple of TV highlight shows for the rest of the year. Ward played in a career high 123 games during the season, batting .262 with nine home runs and 46 RBI.

Ward began the 1999 season with Pittsburgh, however, he struggled to a .209 batting average with no home runs and eight RBI in 49 games with the Pirates. On August 11, the club released Ward.

Arizona Diamondbacks (1999–2000)

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On August 18, 1999, Ward signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, helping the club win the NL West with a .348 batting average with two home runs and seven RBI in 10 games. In the 1999 NLDS against the New York Mets, Ward played in three games, getting two at–bats, where he had a home run and three RBI, however, the D-Backs lost the series.

In 2000, Ward hit .173 with no home runs and four RBI with Arizona in 15 games. On October 5, he was released by the Diamondbacks organization.

Philadelphia Phillies (2001)

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On December 20, 2000, Ward signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, and in the 2001 season, Ward played in 17 games with the club, batting .267 with no home runs and two RBI. On October 8, he was granted free agency, and subsequently retired from professional baseball.

Major league career (1990–2001)

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Ward played in 12 seasons during his Major League Baseball career, appearing in 626 games, as he had a .251 batting average with 39 home runs and 219 RBI. Ward had 389 career hits, and stole 33 bases. Defensively, he recorded a .988 fielding percentage playing at all three outfield positions. He was a member of the 1992 and 1993 World Series champions, the Toronto Blue Jays.

Coaching career

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State College Spikes

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Ward managed the State College Spikes of the New York–Penn League in 2007, leading the club to a 36–39 record, as the club finished in third place in the Pinckney Division.

Mobile BayBears

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Ward became the manager of the Mobile BayBears, the Arizona Diamondbacks' Double–A affiliate in the Southern League, in the 2011 season. Ward coached the BayBears for two seasons, 2011 and 2012, leading the team to two consecutive Southern League championships.[2] He earned the 2011 Southern League Manager of the Year.[2]

Arizona Diamondbacks

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In 2013, Ward became an assistant hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks.[2] Notably, he was thrown out of the game during a massive brawl between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers on June 11, 2013.[3] He became full-time hitting coach in 2014.

Los Angeles Dodgers

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Ward became the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016.[4]

Cincinnati Reds

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On November 6, 2018, Ward was named the new hitting coach of the Cincinnati Reds.[5]

On October 1, 2019, the Cincinnati Reds announced that Ward would not be retained.

St. Louis Cardinals

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On November 15, 2021, the St. Louis Cardinals hired Ward to be their assistant hitting coach.[6] On November 6, 2022, the Cardinals announced the promotion of Ward to hitting coach.[7] On October 4, 2024, Ward and the Cardinals parted ways.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Hicks, Tommy. "Play defines Ward", the Press-Register, published April 16, 2007, accessed April 18, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Manager and Coaches | Arizona Diamondbacks
  3. ^ Blast from the past: Mark McGwire, Kirk Gibson, Matt Williams, Turner Ward, Don Mattingly involved in bench-clearing brawl Tuesday (video) | AL.com
  4. ^ Weisman, Jon (December 17, 2015). "Dodgers name coaches for 2016". Dodgers.com. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  5. ^ "Reds Hire Turner Ward as Hitting Coach". November 6, 2018.
  6. ^ "Cardinals name Ward assistant hitting coach to complete 2022 staff". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  7. ^ "Cards set '23 coaching staff, with Holliday as bench coach". November 6, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  8. ^ "Turner Ward out as Cardinals hitting coach after struggles in 2024: sources". nytimes.com. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
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Preceded by Arizona Diamondbacks hitting coach
2013–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Los Angeles Dodgers Hitting Coach
2016–2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Cincinnati Reds hitting coach
2019 		Succeeded by
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