Thaddeus Ward

Thaddeus James Ward

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 192 lb.
• School University of Central Florida
• High School Bishop Verot High School
• Debut April 1, 2023

• Born January 16, 1997 in Fort Myers, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Thaddeus Ward was the first player selected in the 2022 Rule V Draft, the first time the draft had been held in two years, by the Washington Nationals.

Ward was originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 5th round of the 2018 amateur draft, out of the University of Central Florida. He began his professional career that same year with the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League, going 0-3, 3.77 in 11 starts. In 2019, he split the year between the Greenville Drive of the South Atlantic League and the Salem Red Sox of the Carolina League, combining to go 8-5, 2.14 in 25 starts with 157 strikeouts in 126 1/3 innings. At that point, he was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Red Sox organization and was expected to make his major league debut within a couple of seasons, but unexpected events got in the way.

He first had to miss all of the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic, and then when he returned to action in 2021, with the Portland Sea Dogs of the Double-A Northeast as it was known that season only, made just 2 starts before being shut down in order to undergo Tommy John surgery. In 2022, he had to work his way back up the rungs of the Boston farm system, as he regained arm strength following the long lay-off. He appeared with four different teams, starting with the FCL Red Sox and gradually moving up to Salem, Greenville and Portland (now again in the Eastern League). He made a total of 13 starts, going 0-2, 2.28, as he was kept on strictly limited pitch counts. Following the season, he pitched in the Arizona Fall League where he continued to do well with a 2.84 ERA in 4 games against top prospects from other organizations.

When they took him in the Rule V Draft following the season on December 7th, the Nationals explained that they saw him as starting pitcher in the long term, but would likely use him as a multiple-inning reliever in 2023 in order to have him fulfill the obligation of spending the entire season on the 26-man roster. He was ranked the #15 prospect in the Red Sox system at the time of the draft. He made his major league debut on April 1st, pitching in relief against the Atlanta Braves and allowing 2 runs in 2 innings f work in a 7-1 loss.

Related Sites

• Thaddeus Ward on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• University of Central Florida bio