Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox's Thad Ward Showcases Electric Stuff Against Top Prospects In AFL

Ward is the Red Sox's No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline

Scott Neville

Red Sox's Thad Ward Showcases Electric Stuff Against Top Prospects In AFL
Red Sox's Thad Ward Showcases Electric Stuff Against Top Prospects In AFL /
In this story:

Do the Boston Red Sox have another future big league pitcher rising up the system? There's a right-hander who has been tearing it up since returning from Tommy John surgery mid-way through the season.

Thaddeus Ward has earned recognition for his impressive comeback post-injury, and has continued to show why he's currently rated as the No. 15 Red Sox prospect, making him the fourth-highest rated pitching prospect in the system. 

In his Arizona Fall League debut, he went up against fellow top prospects and continued to flash his electric offerings. 

Ward allowed two earned runs on four hits with a walk and seven strike outs in 4 2/3 innings pitching for the Scottsdale Scorpions on Tuesday night.

His only real damage allowed was a two-run shot hit by Chicago Cubs prospect Brennan Davis, who currently is ranked as the No. 48 prospect in all of Major League Baseball and the No. 2 prospect in the Cubs' system.

Outside of one bad pitch, Ward was quite dynamic. He recorded seven swing-and-misses, all of which came from his two-seam fastball that sits 91-94 mph but can be run up to 96 mph. 

The best part of the outing is that he didn't need to rely on his best offering, a nasty slider with a late break. 

Ward is coming off a playoff start with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, where he was absolutely lights out. The 25-year-old allowed one hit, two walks and struck out seven in 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees affiliate).

Ward has been dominant since his return from injury, posting a 2.28 ERA with an outstanding 66-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .212 batting average against in 51 1/3 innings across four levels, spanning from his first rehab outing in the Florida Complex League all the way up to Double-A Portland, where he made seven of his 13 starts. 

Ward is one of eight prospects to participate in the AFL, with No. 5 prospect Nick Yorke headlining the list. 

More MLB: Xander Bogaerts Certainly Sounds Like He's About To End Red Sox Tenure

Published
Scott Neville
SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer.  His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu

Home/Boston Red Sox Prospects