Conversations with the Herd: Je'Von Ward

By Brian Frank

Bisons outfielder Je'Von Ward always knew baseball was his calling, even though he comes from a football family. His father, Reggie Ward, played wide reciever and running back at Notre Dame and went on to play for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League. His uncle, Mark Carrier, played college football at the University of Southern California and was a longtime NFL safety, who won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, earned three Pro Bowl selections, and played for Chicago, Detroit, and Washington.

"I was interested in everything,” Je’Von Ward recently told The Herd Chronicles. “I think all of us kind of do a little bit of everything [growing up]. They never pushed me to go one way or another. My parents always told me there was something about baseball—it makes sense why I'm still playing. They would play baseball on TV, and I'd sit and watch as a kid. They kind of knew then that I would probably end up pursuing baseball in some capacity."

Ward has hit 43 home runs in his professional career. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Ward starred on the baseball field for three seasons at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and one season at Richard Gahr High School in California. When the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 12th round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft, he faced a difficult decision—attend USC on a baseball scholarship or begin his professional career. He chose the latter.

"There wasn't the NIL [Name, Image, and Likeness] like people talk so much about nowadays,” he explained. “So it was a little different. But I think for me, I always wanted to be a professional baseball player, and I had the opportunity to do that sooner rather than later, so I took advantage of that opportunity and here we are."

He reported to the Brewers' Rookie League affiliate in the Arizona League to begin his professional career.

"I think the best way to describe it is probably that it's just faster,” he said of his adjustment to professional baseball. “You're kind of—I don't want to say dropped in the shark tank—but you're allowed to kind of do what you want in a sense. It's the freedom. You kind of go through school and all that stuff being told what to do a lot of the time, then you get to pro ball and it's pretty much on you. They're like, 'Hey, you can do it, it's your career,' or whatever. I think for me it was just an adjustment to the pace of life. Life got a little bit faster. But it was fun. I wouldn't take it back for anything."

Ward worked his way up to Low-A before the pandemic canceled the 2020 minor-league season. Fortunately, he was able to continue baseball activities throughout that period.

"It's a blessing to grow up in southern California,” he said. “There were quite a few different guys in the same boat, whether it was working out or trying to get some live at-bats. It was fun. It was a good time. During the Covid time I faced quite a few different arms. I faced Jared Jones a while back. Ricky Tiedemann, because I went to high school with his brother. It was cool. We all just were kind of working out, trying to stay afloat in the sense that—Hey, we know we're going to get back, but just stay healthy and continue to work on your craft."

When minor-league baseball resumed in 2021, he reported to the High-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, where he had a game for the ages against the Beloit Snappers. He tripled in the first inning, doubled in the second, singled in the fourth, and homered in the fifth to complete the cycle.

"No one was saying anything to me that day,” he said with a smile. “They were like, 'Oh, we're just going to let him rock.' It was fun though. I think at the time we all kind of knew, like hopefully I get a good pitch to drive here. I think the mentality is the same with a lot of us, whether the moment is small or big, to try to have that same mentality so as the moment gets bigger, you don't overdo it—or overcook it is what I say. I don't think I was thinking about much but getting a good pitch to hit and swinging, you know what I mean? It's as simple as baseball can get. That's what I was thinking in that moment."

Ward added another double later in the game to finish 5-for-6 with a home run, a triple, two doubles, four runs scored, 5 RBIs, a stolen base, and an outfield assist in the Timber Rattlers' 15–13 victory.

Hitting for the cycle.

Unfortunately, at the end of that season, Ward had to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow—a procedure common for pitchers but not so much for position players.

"It's tough seeing an outfielder go down with Tommy John,” he said. “Mine took a little bit longer than I thought. It was good though. I think I needed it at the time just to kind of regroup and get my body in a better spot. I think that time has helped me get to the point I'm at now. It was a challenge though. It was definitely different."

Due to his surgery, Ward missed the entire 2022 regular season. However, he was able to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs, where he posted a .785 OPS and drove in nine runs in 14 games.

"I always tell guys that haven't gone, or the guys that are going to go, that it's probably one of my coolest baseball experiences I've had,” he said. “Being able to be around a lot of these other guys from other orgs to see how they work, and just how they go through their process and stuff. Because you're with one team and you only see the guys on your team up close like that. I would say it's pretty up there in my baseball accolades."

Ward began the 2024 season with the independent American Association's Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Illinois, before signing with the Blue Jays organization.

"I didn't sign that offseason, just trying to go through my process and figure some stuff out,” he said. “I ended up going to Kane County. It was cool though. It was a good experience. We had a lot of fun. I always say, I hit a home run when I was in Winnipeg, Canada, so I was like, it has to be a coincidence that the Toronto Blue Jays picked me up, I think it was a week after that happened. It was kind of funny. It was a blessing in disguise. I'm just very grateful to be a Blue Jay."

After signing with Toronto, he reported to the High-A Vancouver Canadians, where he posted an .836 OPS in 63 games.

"That was another one of my cooler baseball experiences, being able to go and live in Vancouver for the amount of time we were there,” Ward said. “Just being able to live in that city was awesome. The baseball there is awesome. There are fans every game. The weather was nice. It was fun. It was a really good time at Nat Bailey. It was a great time."

Ward has played in 43 games for the Herd this season. Photo Credit: Brian Frank, The Herd Chronicles

Last year, he began the season in Vancouver before earning a midseason promotion to Double-A New Hampshire.

"It was a full healthy year,” he said. “I think I've always had something here or there. Going through last year and being able to unlock some of the things I was able to unlock, it was really cool. Being able to find my power stroke and being able to walk … and get myself to the point I am now, just trending in the right direction."

He played six games with New Hampshire this season before being promoted to Triple-A Buffalo. Since arriving, he’s been a key contributor for the Herd, playing regularly in right field and belting seven home runs.The 26-years-old believes he’s improved both defensively and at the plate since he joined the Blue Jays organization..

"I think everything about my game has gotten better in some capacity," Ward said. My defense is something that I've been working on tremendously, whether it's my arm or just getting reads off the bats. I think that's something I've improved tenfold. Overall as a hitter I've matured a lot. Everything in my game has matured, and I'm turning in the right direction …"