Socal ProCase Player Spotlight: INF Ryan Ward

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San Juan Capistrano, Calif - Entering the 2021 offseason, Ryan Ward is coveted as one of the top recruits in the state, and positionally is ranked 13th in the country. Ward is extremely projectable with a long, lean, and athletic frame with lots of room to fill out and get stronger. When watching him run around a baseball field it is clear what is enticing about him as a prospect. He is a player that doesn’t necessarily have one tool that jumps off that paper at you, but all of the tools are there and he just simply does all of them well. One thing that really stood out was just how much fun this kid had playing baseball. His energy was infectious and he was constantly conversing with other players and putting smiles on their faces which helped everyone get through a long day at the ball field. The fluidity and confidence that Ward plays with is well beyond his years and he finds a way to make everything that he is doing look smooth and easy. 

 

The Report:

Body: At 6-2 180, Ward has room to fill into himself and has good present strength to build off of. Has long levers that make him enticing as a hitter. 

Hit: Ward’s batting practice was simply pretty. His swing is free and easy and makes consistent loud contact. The reason that he finds such a consistent barrel is due to how simple his swing is. He has a basic stance, feet are parallel slightly wider than shoulder width apart, stands upright and has a very relaxed rhythm with his hands. His stride was short and simple and his hand path to the ball was short and quick. Balanced throughout entire swing. 

Power: 96.95 mph exit velo (85.18 mph avg) in batting practice via Trackman using a wood bat. His long levers create a whippy swing that is strong to and through point of contact. Ward gets great use out of his backside and showed to have the ability to spray the ball to all parts of the field regardless of pitch location. 

Field: Ward's actions in the field look almost like second nature to him. He has the ability to play both short and third base effectively, but due to his height and projections, it seems that he is more likely to end up at third base at the next level. Does a great job of putting himself in good positions to field the baseball. Sinks into his legs and fields the ball out in front of his body and has a quick and clean transfer. 

Arm: Ward has a quick and compact arm action that we saw get up to 82 mph across the infield. Does a great job of working through the baseball and getting rid of it quickly. Arm strength will continue to develop but shows consistent accuracy from many different spots on the left side of the infield. 

Run: 6.84 laser-time 60 yard dash. Head stayed level and shoulders and hips stayed square through the finish line. Good first step, steady build up with long strides. 

Summary: When thinking of a word to try to describe Ward’s game the only thing that I kept coming back to was that he is just simply a ball player. As Ward continues to develop in size and strength, the hype around the kid will only continue to grow. He is the kind of player that you want to have in your lineup every day, but more importantly this is a kid that will be a joy to have in your locker room. Getting the opportunity to play in the Pac-12 can be a humbling experience, but Ward is hoping that he can have the same fortune as many other young hitters that the Wildcats seem to keep pumping out.