Preston Ward

Preston Ward was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 744 games over nine seasons in Major League Baseball between 1948 and 1959. Born in Columbia, Missouri, Ward attended Missouri State University and began his professional career in the Brooklyn Dodgers farm system at age 16. He went on to play for the Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians, and Kansas City Athletics. A left-handed batter who threw right-handed, Ward served in the military during the Korean War, missing the 1951–52 seasons. He posted a .253 career batting average with 50 home runs and 262 RBI across his nine seasons.