Thad Ward. He was ranked no. 192 on Perfect Game USA's list of top prospects, while Ward was unranked by MLB.com. In the fifth round, the Boston Red Sox selected their third consecutive college player after grabbing two prep hitters on Day 1 in UCF right-handed pitcher. He was ranked no. 192 onlist of top prospects, while Ward was unranked by





Ward was a true swingman for the Knights, starting five out of his 22 appearances, also earning two saves. He gave his team anything from seven-inning starts to one-inning relief stints. Ward was first-team All-American Athletic Conference with 84 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings pitched against 26 walks. His strikeout numbers were 25th-best in the country, punching out 11.9 batters per nine innings and batters hit only .203 against him.





Not drafted out of high school, Perfect Game USA reports that most scouts think that Ward will pitch in a bullpen role professionally, though some think that his 6-foot-3, 182-pound frame can possibly cut it as a starter.





He has some projection remaining and used mostly a fastball-slider mix, with Perfect Game reporting the latter could become a plus offering. His fastball is in the 90-95 mph range, with the slider coming in the low 80s.





The slot value for the No. 160 overall pick is $311,800.





Photo Credit: Thad Ward by UCF Athletics



