Gary Ward

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1979-1990)

Gary Ward was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1990 for 4 teams, including the Minnesota Twins, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,287 career games, he hit .276 with 1,236 hits, 130 home runs, and 597 RBI. Gary Ward was a 2-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 4,040.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .276
HR 130
RBI 597
H 1,236
OPS .753
PIV 4,040
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 195 lb
Born
12/6/1953 in Los Angeles, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1979-09-03
Last Game
1990-10-03
Awards
2× All-Star

Full name: Gary Lamell Ward

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Career Batting Statistics

Gary Ward — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,287 4,479 594 1,236 196 41 130 597 83 351 775 .276 .328 .425 .753 4,040

Career AVG .276 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +6.4% above league average.

Career OBP .328 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .425 vs. league average .389 across their career seasons — +9.4% above league average.

Career OPS .753 vs. league average .713 across their career seasons — +5.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Gary Ward Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1979 MIN AL 10 14 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 .286 — — — — 0.0
1980 MIN AL 13 41 11 19 6 2 1 10 0 3 6 .463 — — — — 0.0
1981 MIN AL 85 295 42 78 7 6 3 29 5 28 48 .264 .255 (+3%) .320 (+2%) .368 (-3%) .688 (-1%) -36.2
1982 MIN AL 152 570 85 165 33 7 28 91 13 37 105 .289 .261 (+11%) .324 (+2%) .388 (+34%) .712 (+19%) 1893.8
1983 MIN AL 157 623 76 173 34 5 19 88 8 44 98 .278 .260 (+6%) .324 (avg) .389 (+13%) .714 (+7%) 767.5
1984 TEX AL 155 602 97 171 21 7 21 79 7 55 95 .284 .259 (+9%) .322 (+6%) .384 (+16%) .707 (+12%) 1397.5
1985 TEX AL 154 593 77 170 28 7 15 70 26 39 97 .287 .257 (+12%) .323 (+2%) .390 (+11%) .714 (+7%) 662.5
1986 TEX AL 105 380 54 120 15 2 5 51 12 31 72 .316 .257 (+23%) .325 (+14%) .395 (+3%) .720 (+8%) 646.7
1987 NYA AL 146 529 65 131 22 1 16 78 9 33 101 .248 .262 (-6%) .331 (-12%) .415 (-8%) .746 (-10%) -910.9
1988 NYA AL 91 231 26 52 8 0 4 24 0 24 41 .225 .254 (-11%) .317 (-5%) .377 (-17%) .695 (-12%) -370.0
1989 NYA AL 8 17 3 5 1 0 0 1 0 3 5 .294 — — — — 0.0
1989 DET AL 105 275 24 69 10 2 9 29 1 21 54 .251 .254 (-1%) .319 (-6%) .375 (+7%) .694 (+1%) 0.0
1990 DET AL 106 309 32 79 11 2 9 46 2 30 50 .256 .257 (-1%) .324 (-1%) .385 (+2%) .710 (avg) 25.5
Career · 13 seasons 1,287 4,479 594 1,236 196 41 130 597 83 351 775 .276 — — — — 4,076

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1287 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Gary Ward — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home644218730463463329.290
Away643229229060267268.263

Last 10 Games — Batting

Gary Ward — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1990-10-03 DETNYYW 322001401
1990-10-02 DETNYYL 100000000
1990-10-01 DETNYYW 400000001
1990-09-30 DETMINW 311100001
1990-09-29 DETMINL 000000000
1990-09-28 DETMINW 400000001
1990-09-27 DETBOSL 301000001
1990-09-26 DETSEAL 101000200
1990-09-25 DETSEAW 000000000
1990-09-19 DETLAAW 010000110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Gary Ward — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 54 35 341 26 3 34
3B 2 0 0 1 0 0
OF 1094 1025 2436 81 41 21

Season-by-Season Fielding

Gary Ward — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 MIN OF 5 2 8 0 0 0
1980 MIN OF 12 10 14 0 0 0
1981 MIN OF 80 73 185 8 5 4
1982 MIN OF 150 143 343 13 4 3
1983 MIN OF 152 152 374 24 9 6
1984 TEX OF 148 146 376 11 5 1
1985 TEX OF 153 151 304 11 10 2
1986 TEX OF 104 101 237 8 1 3
1987 NYA 1B 15 13 118 8 0 11
1987 NYA OF 94 83 200 2 3 0
1988 NYA 1B 11 10 90 4 1 9
1988 NYA 3B 2 0 0 1 0 0
1988 NYA OF 54 45 130 0 1 0
1989 NYA OF 6 6 7 0 0 0
1989 DET 1B 26 12 126 14 2 14
1989 DET OF 51 36 101 2 1 1
1990 DET 1B 2 0 7 0 0 0
1990 DET OF 85 77 157 2 2 1

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Gary Ward Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 54
Third Base 2
Left Field 848
Center Field 181
Right Field 111
Designated Hitter 102

Awards & Honors

Gary Ward — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-05-24
1984 Player of the Month August
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-08-24
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-07-02
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-09-10

Salary History

Gary Ward — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1990 DET AL $537,500
1989 NYA AL $68,000
1988 NYA AL $625,000
1987 NYA AL $633,000
1986 TEX AL $865,000
1985 TEX AL $720,000
Total Career Earnings $3,448,500

Award Voting History

Gary Ward — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1982 Most Valuable Player AL 32th 1.0 392 0
1981 Rookie of the Year AL 9th 1.0 140 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Gary Ward (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dan Ford
    .270 avg, 121 HR
  2. 87
    Hector Lopez
    .269 avg, 136 HR
  3. 86
    Jay Payton
    .279 avg, 119 HR
  4. 82
    Jim Northrup
    .267 avg, 153 HR
  5. 80
    Mel Hall
    .276 avg, 134 HR
  6. 79
    Aaron Rowand
    .273 avg, 136 HR

Gary Ward: the record in brief

According to the bio, Gary Ward debuted on September 3, 1979 and played a final game on October 3, 1990. Club by club, the record runs the Minnesota Twins (1979 to 1983), the Texas Rangers (1984 to 1986), the New York Yankees (1987 through 1989), and the Detroit Tigers (1989 through 1990). Ward, born on December 6, 1953, in Los Angeles, CA, USA, is listed as an outfielder and both batted and threw right-handed. Ward's listed size is 195 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame. Ward's full given name, per the bio, is Gary Lamell Ward.

Across 1,287 games at the plate, Ward's career line reads 1,236 hits in 4,479 at bats for a .276 average, along with 130 home runs, 597 runs batted in, and 83 stolen bases. On-base and slugging figures of .328 and .425 give Ward a career OPS of .753. Set against a .259 league average for the same years, Ward's .276 average sits 6.4% above it. In OPS terms, Ward's .753 stands 5.6% above the league's .713.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gary Ward

What years did Gary Ward play?
Gary Ward played in Major League Baseball from 1979 to 1990.
Was Gary Ward a pitcher?
No. Gary Ward was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Gary Ward hit?
Gary Ward hit 130 career home runs with 1236 hits.
What was Gary Ward's career batting average?
Gary Ward batted .276 over his career, with 1,236 hits in 4,479 at bats.
How many RBI did Gary Ward have?
Gary Ward drove in 597 runs in his career.
Is Gary Ward in the Hall of Fame?
No. Gary Ward has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.