Since Major League Baseball began tracking spring training stats in 2006, no player had stolen more than 16 bases in a single spring.
Until now.
In the second inning of Thursday’s Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Red Sox minor league outfielder Braiden Ward set a new record by swiping his 17th bag of the spring. After being hit by a pitch, the speedster promptly took off for second base and slid in safely without a throw from the opposing catcher.
To mark the occasion, Ward paid homage to Rickey Henderson by picking up the base and lifting it in the air in celebration. Unlike Henderson, who set the all-time steals record in 1991, Ward did not lift the base completely over his head.
As Ward explained to reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and The Boston Globe’s Tim Healey), Marcelo Mayer originally came up with the idea for the celebration as a joke. It was then backed by Trevor Story and manager Alex Cora.
“I wasn’t going to do that in general, but they were all egging me on, egging me on,” Ward said. “How often do you get to do something like that? It’s for the boys, you know what I mean? It was something for us to celebrate a little bit during spring training. Spring training’s supposed to be fun and laidback.
“It started off as a joke,” he continued, “[Cora] didn’t say no. That’s a yes, right? So we were like, ‘OK, we can do it, I guess.’ And then Story was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And then everyone was like, ‘You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it.’”
With his 17th stolen base (in 18 attempts) of the spring on Thursday, Ward surpassed Eugenio Velez’s exhibition record of 16 steals with the Giants in 2008.
“I had no idea what the record was until someone had mentioned it on Twitter when I had 12 (steals),” said Ward. “And then I was like, ‘Wait, 16’s doable. 17’s doable at the rate I was going. [Cora] was just like, ‘Go out there and run. Do your thing.’ I’m trying to impress him, impress the team, find a role on this team. And so I’m just trying to do what I can do, and so hopefully we can get to 20, 25, and just keep going.”
Acquired from the Rockies for left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino in November, Ward has made quite the impression in his first spring training with the Red Sox. In camp as a non-roster invitee who has yet to play in the majors, the left-handed hitting 27-year-old is batting .419/.526/.452 with one double, four RBIs, 10 runs scored, four walks, and eight strikeouts through 16 Grapefruit League games (38 plate appearances).
Defensively, Ward — part of a stacked outfield group — has seen playing time at all three spots with the Red Sox this spring and has yet to commit an error. Whether it be on the base paths or in the outfield grass, the fleet-footed 5-foot-9, 160-pounder is undoubtedly using his speed to his advantage.
“He’s a good base runner. He’s not out there just running for the hell of it. He gets good jumps, but he’s very picky [as to] when. So far, it’s been outstanding,” Cora remarked. “I knew he was fast, but I didn’t know the rest of the player, to be honest with you. The bunting thing is real. He’s getting better in the outfield. The at-bats are getting better, too. He’s gaining a lot of confidence.”
Despite the strong spring, Ward is viewed as a long shot to make Boston’s Opening Day roster given his positioning on the club’s outfield depth chart. He sits behind the likes of Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Roman Anthony, who are all due back from the World Baseball Classic in the coming days.
Taking that into consideration, Ward acknowledged that his opportunities could be limited before the Red Sox depart for Cincinnati later this month.
“It’s going to be a lot harder to play,” Ward said.
(Picture of Braiden Ward: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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