Braiden Ward

The best athlete in the Pacific Northwest and possibly the fastest player in the entire draft class, Ward hit over .300 in each of his first two seasons at Washington in 2018 and 2019 before an impressive summer in the wood bat Cape Cod League where he hit .303/.386/.407 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Ward didn’t hit as well this season, with a .285/.374/.378 slash line while showing an uptick in strikeouts (42) compared to just 12 walks. Ward has bat speed in his slashy bat, but he’s struggled seeing pitches this year and too often swings early in counts instead of working longer at-bats, with minimal power. Ward’s carrying tool is his 80-grade speed, and he’s an excellent basestealer—89 stolen bases in 104 attempts in his collegiate career. The speed plays well in center field, where he’s a plus defender, but he’s also played some second base this season and played shortstop in high school. Top-of-the-scale speed is hard to come by, and Ward’s defensive versatility could make him intriguing for teams.