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. Over the course of his MLB tenure, he became a utilityman and platoon player, seeing most of his action as a first baseman (438 games at first base vs. 95 in the outfield and 74 at third base). He batted .253 lifetime, while the league average for his era was .269. He collected 522 career hits, with 83 doubles, 15 triples, 50 home runs and 262 runs batted in. His highest seasonal home run total was 12, and his highest RBI total was 48. In 1958 Ward batted .284 with 118 hits in a season split between the Indians and Athletics.
