Preston Ward

First Baseman · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1948-1959)

Preston Ward was a first baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959 for 5 teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 12 seasons. In 744 career games, he hit .253 with 522 hits, 50 home runs, and 262 RBI.

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 .253
HR 50
RBI 262
H 522
OPS .706
PIV -1,049
Position
First Baseman
Bats / Throws
L / R
Height / Weight
6'4" / 190 lb
Born
7/24/1927 in Columbia, MO, USA
Died
6/2/2013 in Las Vegas, NV, USA
MLB Debut
1948-04-20
Last Game
1959-08-18

Full name: Preston Meyer Ward

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Career Batting Statistics

Preston Ward — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
744 2,067 219 522 83 15 50 262 7 231 315 .253 .326 .380 .706 -1,049

Career AVG .253 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .326 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .380 vs. league average .393 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .706 vs. league average .725 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Preston 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
1948 BRO NL 42 146 9 38 9 2 1 21 0 15 23 .260 .263 (-1%) .340 (-3%) .379 (-2%) .719 (-3%) -83.8
1950 CHN NL 80 285 31 72 11 2 6 33 3 27 42 .253 .265 (-5%) .346 (-8%) .401 (-8%) .747 (-8%) -418.9
1953 CHN NL 33 100 10 23 5 0 4 12 3 18 21 .230 .264 (-13%) .335 (+3%) .397 (+1%) .733 (+2%) 62.3
1953 PIT NL 88 281 35 59 7 1 8 27 1 44 39 .210 .264 (-21%) .335 (-5%) .397 (-18%) .733 (-12%) 62.3
1954 PIT NL 117 360 37 97 16 2 7 48 0 39 61 .269 .261 (+3%) .333 (+1%) .390 (-2%) .723 (avg) -13.2
1955 PIT NL 84 179 16 38 7 4 5 25 0 22 28 .212 .258 (-18%) .332 (-11%) .393 (-4%) .726 (-7%) -245.1
1956 PIT NL 16 30 3 10 0 1 1 11 0 6 4 .333 — — — — 0.0
1956 CLE AL 87 150 18 38 10 0 6 21 0 16 20 .253 .258 (-2%) .331 (-2%) .397 (+11%) .728 (+5%) 0.0
1957 CLE AL 10 11 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .182 — — — — 0.0
1958 CLE AL 48 148 22 50 3 1 4 21 0 10 27 .338 .257 (+31%) .324 (+17%) .394 (+15%) .719 (+16%) 406.0
1958 KC1 AL 81 268 28 68 10 1 6 24 0 27 36 .254 .257 (-2%) .324 (-2%) .394 (-7%) .719 (-5%) 406.0
1959 KC1 AL 58 109 8 27 4 1 2 19 0 7 12 .248 .256 (-3%) .323 (-12%) .392 (-9%) .715 (-10%) -213.5
Career · 12 seasons 744 2,067 219 522 83 15 50 262 7 231 315 .253 — — — — -38

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 (744 games) →

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

Batting — Home / Away

Preston Ward — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home377102212827029148.264
Away36710459125221114.241

Last 10 Games — Batting

Preston Ward — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1959-08-18 KC1BOSL 411010100
1959-08-16 KC1CHWW 111001110
1959-08-14 KC1CHWL 101000100
1959-08-10 KC1CLEL 111000000
1959-08-09 KC1NYYL 100000000
1959-08-09 KC1NYYL 603100100
1959-08-08 KC1NYYL 100000000
1959-08-05 KC1BOSL 401000200
1959-08-04 KC1BOSL 101000100
1959-08-02 KC1NYYL 000000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Preston Ward — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 438 169 3337 297 31 319
3B 74 62 49 104 13 6
OF 95 63 157 9 9 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Preston Ward — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1948 BRO 1B 38 0 268 20 3 21
1950 CHN 1B 76 0 734 73 4 78
1953 CHN 1B 7 0 49 1 0 9
1953 CHN OF 27 0 49 0 2 0
1953 PIT 1B 78 0 693 64 7 65
1954 PIT 1B 48 38 338 41 6 31
1954 PIT 3B 11 12 7 20 3 0
1954 PIT OF 42 41 74 8 6 3
1955 PIT 1B 48 38 384 35 1 41
1955 PIT OF 1 1 0 0 0 0
1956 PIT 3B 5 5 3 3 0 0
1956 PIT OF 5 4 2 0 0 0
1956 CLE 1B 60 16 226 21 3 20
1956 CLE OF 17 14 29 1 0 0
1957 CLE 1B 1 0 3 0 0 0
1958 CLE 1B 21 18 135 12 0 12
1958 CLE 3B 24 14 16 28 2 2
1958 KC1 1B 39 39 346 23 4 28
1958 KC1 3B 34 31 23 53 8 4
1958 KC1 OF 2 2 3 0 0 0
1959 KC1 1B 22 20 161 7 3 14
1959 KC1 OF 1 1 0 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Preston Ward Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
First Base 436
Third Base 76
Left Field 17
Center Field 27
Right Field 51

Most Similar Players

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

Career Spans

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

  1. 98
    Mike Cubbage
    .258 avg, 34 HR
  2. 92
    Billy Myers
    .257 avg, 45 HR
  3. 92
    Bill Rigney
    .259 avg, 41 HR
  4. 91
    Gavin Lux
    .256 avg, 33 HR
  5. 89
    Pete LaCock
    .257 avg, 27 HR
  6. 88
    Alex Kampouris
    .243 avg, 45 HR

Preston Ward: the record in brief

April 20, 1948 and August 18, 1959 bracket Preston Ward's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. The team column moves through the Brooklyn Dodgers (1948), the Chicago Cubs (1950 through 1953), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953 through 1956), the Cleveland Indians (1956 through 1958), and the Kansas City Athletics (1958 through 1959). The bio lists Ward as a first baseman who batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6'4" and 190 pounds. Ward was born on July 24, 1927, in Columbia, MO, USA. The bio records the death on June 2, 2013, in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Preston Ward was the playing name; the full given name is Preston Meyer.

Ward finished with 522 hits from 2,067 at bats in 744 games, which works out to .253; the totals also include 50 home runs and 262 runs batted in. The on-base percentage is .326 and the slugging percentage .380, for an OPS of .706. The .253 career average is close to the .260 the league hit across the same seasons. The hits column peaks at 97, in 1954.

Frequently Asked Questions about Preston Ward

What years did Preston Ward play?
Preston Ward played in Major League Baseball from 1948 to 1959.
Was Preston Ward a pitcher?
No. Preston Ward was a position player (First Baseman).
How many home runs did Preston Ward hit?
Preston Ward hit 50 career home runs with 522 hits.
What teams did Preston Ward play for?
Preston Ward played for 5 teams: the Brooklyn Dodgers (1948), the Chicago Cubs (1950, 1953), the Pittsburgh Pirates (1953–1956), the Cleveland Indians (1956–1958), and the Kansas City Athletics (1958–1959).
What were Preston Ward's career stats?
In 744 games, Preston Ward had 522 hits, 50 home runs, 262 RBI, 219 runs, and 7 stolen bases, with a .253 batting average.
What position did Preston Ward play?
Preston Ward played primarily as a first baseman, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Preston Ward and how much did he weigh?
Preston Ward was listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Preston Ward hit each season?
Preston Ward's home runs by season: 1 in 1948, 6 in 1950, 12 in 1953, 7 in 1954, 5 in 1955, 7 in 1956, 0 in 1957, 10 in 1958, and 2 in 1959. His most in one season was 12, in 1953.
What was Preston Ward's career batting average?
Preston Ward batted .253 over his career, with 522 hits in 2,067 at bats.
How many RBI did Preston Ward have?
Preston Ward drove in 262 runs in his career.
Is Preston Ward in the Hall of Fame?
No. Preston Ward has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.