Preston Ward

Preston Meyer Ward (July 24, 1927 – June 2, 2013) was an American professional baseball first baseman who appeared in 744 games over nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1948 and 1959 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Athletics.

He threw right-handed, batted left-handed, and was listed as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and 190 pounds (86 kg).

Ward got opportunities in the major leagues in both 1948 and 1950, then he missed the 1951–1952 seasons while serving in the military during the Korean War, before finally "sticking" in 1953.

In 1958 Ward batted .284 with 118 hits in a season split between the Indians and Athletics.

Ward was drafted by the St. Louis Bombers of the Basketball Association of America in 1949 out of Missouri State, but never played for them.