Drew Ward continues to produce in first full season for AFL Glendale

Third baseman Drew Ward is tied for second in hitting for the Glendale Desert Dogs with a .333 average after 17 games. Ward and teammate Andrew Stevenson, alongside Garrett Stubbs and Carson Kelly, have played more games than any other D-Dogs.

In 117 games this season, the soon-to-be 22-year-old Ward (Nov. 25) demonstrated his power capabilities with 23 doubles, 14 home runs and 56 RBIs for high Single-A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg.

Early in Arizona Fall League play, pitching coach Sam Narron gave a snapshot of Ward's play on both sides of the ball. Ward has said at the beginning of this season he was focusing on improving his glove and foot work on the hot corner. He had three errors early in AFL play, but has settled in lately and hasn't added to that total since.

"He hasn't really had a whole lot of difficult plays, but he's made every routine play that's sent his way," Narron said. "He's taken advantage of playing every day, too, or playing more than he has last year. He's gotten several hits, driven in several runs."

In the last 10 games, Ward has hit safely in nine of them. He has 12 hits in those 10 games.

"He's had some good baserunning plays, too," Narron continued. "(Early in the season) he tagged up from first base on a deep fly ball to left field. Just those little things that maybe not everybody, the casual fan of baseball, you wouldn't really notice it. Watching the way he's matured over the last couple years and putting it on display here is pretty cool."

Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba said in October that the instructional league was jumping because the prospects were thrilled to see their teammates playing in the major league postseason. Guys like Wilmer Difo, Pedro Severino and Reynaldo Lopez all made key contributions down the stretch and were not that far removed from playing in places like Hagerstown.

I asked Narron if he saw that same kind of reaction from the prospects he worked with in Viera, Fla., and now in Glendale, Ariz.

"The Nationals have done a wonderful job of promoting guys and promoting guys to the big leagues," Narron said. "Everybody knows that if you do your job and do it well, you will be rewarded. Sometimes it might take a little longer than others, sometimes it's not in the plans to move quickly. We want to see you at a certain level. Like Wilmer Difo and Lucas Giolito, both were in the Sally League in 2014 the whole year and it only made them better. They flew through the system.

"The players know that when they do well and they conduct themselves professionally in the manner that the Washington Nationals expect and they produce the results will be good for them."