Gary Ward

Who is Gary Ward?

Gary Lamell Ward is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers.

Ward was signed by the Twins as an amateur free agent in 1972 and made his debut in the 1979 season. He is the father of major leaguer Daryle Ward.

He was named American League Rookie of the Year by Baseball Digest in 1981 and followed as Twins Player of the Year and Most Improved Player in 1982. That season he batted .289, with 28 home runs, 91 runs batted in and a .519 slugging average. In 1983 he hit .278 with 19 HR and 88 RBI, and led all outfielders with 24 assists, the most for an AL outfielder since 1944. He was traded to the Rangers at the end of the season.

In his first season with Texas, Ward hit .284, with 21 HR and 79 RBI, and set a club season record with seven triples and a personal high with 97 runs scored. He led the Rangers in batting in 1985 and 1986, then signed with the Yankees as a free agent. He had a great first half in 1987 but afterwards, slumped badly.