Personal life
Turner Ward attended his first Major League Baseball game on September 10,1973,alongside his older brother Wes and their father James. Ward later stated that watching Hank Aaron hit his 710th home run inspired him to pursue professional baseball. [1]
Ward met his future wife Donna when both were teenagers. They married in 1988. [2] She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012,published a book about her cancer-related experiences in 2020,and was in remission from 2022. [2] [3]
In 1999,Ward invested in the Diamond Players Club Clermont. [4]
Ward was inducted into the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. [5]
Playing career
Cleveland Indians (1990–1991)
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. [6]
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. [7] 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. [8] [9] [10]
Toronto Blue Jays (1991–1993)
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.
During the 1993 season,Ward advocated for more playing time. [11] As a result,he got into 72 games with the Blue Jays. However,he struggled offensively,batting .192 with four home runs and 28 RBI. He did not play in the postseason,as the Blue Jays repeated as champions by winning the 1993 World Series.
Milwaukee Brewers (1994–1996)
On November 24,1993,Ward was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers off waivers. [12]
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.
Ward began the 1996 season in a 1-for-20 slump. [13] He 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)
Ward signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 22,1997, [14] and had a very productive season as the team's 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. [14] The spectacular catch that resulted was a staple of TV highlight shows for the rest of the year. [15] 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. After Ward finished his rehabilitation from a knee injury in the minor leagues,on August 11,the club released him. [16] [17]
Arizona Diamondbacks (1999–2000)
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)
On December 20,2000,Ward signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, [18] 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)
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
Mobile BayBears
Ward became the manager of the Mobile BayBears,the Arizona Diamondbacks' Double–A affiliate in the Southern League,in the 2011 season. [20] [21] Ward coached the BayBears for two seasons,2011 and 2012,leading the team to two consecutive Southern League championships. [22] For this accomplishment,Ward was inducted into the Southern League Hall of Fame in 2015. [23]
Arizona Diamondbacks
In 2013,Ward became an assistant hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks. [24] Notably,he was thrown out of the game during a massive brawl between the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers on June 11,2013. [25] [26] He became full-time hitting coach in 2014, [27] [28] and left the team after the 2015 season. [29] [30]
St. Louis Cardinals
On November 15,2021,the St. Louis Cardinals hired Ward to be their assistant hitting coach. [35] On November 6,2022,the Cardinals announced the promotion of Ward to hitting coach. [36] On October 4,2024,Ward and the Cardinals parted ways. [37] [38]
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