San Francisco, Fla. -- Drew Ward's professional American football career is off to an excellent start and the Nationals are expecting bigger things from him down the road.

A third-round pick in the 2013 First-Year Person Draft, the left-handed hitting Ward had a .292 batting average which has a home run, 28 RBIs and a .402 on-base proportion for the Gulf Coast People last year. It prompted Baseball.com to rank Ward as the 13th best prospect in the Nationals' farm process.

What has impressed assistant gm Doug Harris about Ward? His plate discipline. Before Ward has been drafted, there were scouts, according to published reports, who questioned his or her skills because the competition ended up being considered weak while he joined Leedey High School in Oklahoma.

'[Ward] performed something that was difficult to perform,' Harris said. 'He came in and also performed at a high level, but exactly how he did it was since impressive as the results. One thing he did exceptionally very well for a young player has been his recognition and management of the strike zone. Originating from a small school, that doesn't take place every day. He showed a lot of maturity offensively.'

At this point of the planting season, the Nationals have not determined where Ward would start the season, but it would not shock anyone if he played for Class A Hagerstown.

At 6-4, 210 weight, Ward, 19, is expected to obtain even bigger and be a slugger. He or she is currently in the Nationals' accelerated camp, where top prospects polish their skills under the careful eyes of Harris and the Minor League coaching staff.

'I would like to get my power numbers as I age,' Keep said. 'They say the last thing to return is power. But I wish it to come a little earlier. I wish to keep on taking the ball the opposite way, hitting up the midsection. The inside pitch I can are able to. I still need to work on hitting the other way and up the middle as possible.'

One thing is certain: Maintain is a confident young man. his / her sounds older than his 19 years. He has a regimen that he goes through every day. This individual hits off a playing baseball tee and receives the front tosses from one of the trainers. He also makes it a point going to the ball up the center and the other way in the course of batting practice.

'I just obtain my mind set for the game. I get ready to go,' Ward claimed.

It also helps that he comes from a softball family. His grandfather, Joe, put together the Oklahoma Vacationers, an American Legion baseball staff. From 1964 to 2013, the team is 2,668-947. His / her father, Gregg, played professional softball in the Braves organization.

'It's always been baseball, baseball, baseball,' Infirmary said.

Ward also grew up idolizing previous Reds great Pete Rose. To be a 7-year-old, Ward was in Las Vegas regarding his father and the younger Maintain was able to get Rose's autograph. After that, Gregg explained to his son about Went up by the player. It prompted Attracted to do more research on Rose. Ward saw lots of videos of Rose the ball player and was impressed by just how he played the game.

'He was such a grinder, which is not my personal type of playing,' Ward said. 'I'm more of a power man. But just the way he played out and put all his attempt out there. That's probably my own baseball hero.'

Ward hopes to be considered a baseball hero one day. They was drafted as a shortstop, though the Nationals thought he ended up being better off at third base.

'His skill set at this point profiles a bit better on the corner. He is a big man. We think temporarily, that is the best place for them,' Harris said. 'Keep him about the left side of the infield and continue to learn footwork, glove operate, build his arm to the left side of the infield.

'We are likely to give him every opportunity to continue to the left side from the field. Down the road, he is going to certainly be a very big and physical gentleman. We'll see where his or her body takes him, precisely how he is able to adapt as he evolves.'

Ward was fine with the position switch. He said he got thousands of grounders to get used to the actual angles of playing at third. Now he is delighted being a member of the Nationals firm.

'The Nationals are the best organization -- your coaches, the whole staff is fantastic,' he said. 'It couldn't get any better. I was very fortunate to get drafted by these people. I wanted to get drafted higher, but after I look back, I wouldn't want anything to change.'

San Francisco -- Josh Willingham might have missed quite a few in his Major League career so far -- postseason play being a main absence -- but he's completed a feat done by merely 13 players in history.

Willingham possesses smashed two grand jams in the same game.

'That was obviously a special day in my career, definitely,' he said. 'I remember a great deal about that day because I uncertainty if it'll ever afflict me again.'

Likely not. No-one has ever done it twice.

Willingham was with the Nationals when he connected for two home runs with the bases loaded about July 27, 2009, against the Brewers. The first came in your fifth inning against an old Royals suitable, Jeff Suppan, and the next in the sixth against Mark DiFelice. That provided eight of the Nats' runs in a 14-6 victory.

Willingham is the last in the 13 players who tried that. The Yankees' Tony Lazzeri as the first in 1936 and the listing includes such notables as Rudy York (1946), Frank Robinson (1970), Robin Ventura (1995) and Nomar Garciaparra (1999).

That's background, of course, and what the Royals are more interested in seeing is how several home runs and greatly improves their newly-acquired designated hitter (and possibly part-time outfielder) can wallop.

Willingham, a right-handed power player, was in the San Francisco choice for the first time as DH and batted sixth behind Alex Gordon on Tuesday night against Oakland, one of his previous clubs.

'It's a nice, balanced array. It gives us flow most up and down the lineup,Inch manager Ned Yost said. 'No real slots in the lineup. Gives us good right-left balance. He's going to play lots.'

It took Willingham just one pitch to produce himself right at home. Batting using one out in the second inning, he drilled left-hander Jon Lester's first delivery to him into left field for just a stand-up double, cheered by a standing masses.

That was his only attack in four at-bats in the 11-3 loss to the A's. Willingham also hit to a double play and hit out twice.

Willingham was while using Twins on Monday at stretch time in Houston as soon as manager Ron Gardenhire pulled your ex in and told your ex he'd been dealt to be able to KC for Minor League glass pitcher Jason Adam.

So, Willingham went from the American League Central's last-place team to its newly-ascended first-place group.

'I've been keeping up and they've been playing some great American football,' Willingham said. 'Obviously, facing them the final three years quite a bit, know a few of their players -- especially their pestering staff, it's a very good staff. They're playing great softball right now. I'm going to try to add, do my part and check not to get in the way too much.'

Willingham predicted to see most of the DH duty, at the least until Eric Hosmer comes off his right-hand injury to play first base and Billy Butler is broken back to DH. Willingham, who will share many DH time with left-handed Raul Ibanez, will go with all the flow.

'That's what American football is actually, day-by-day,' Willingham said. 'If I are available in tomorrow and I'm playing correct or shortstop or whatever, we will just do what I can.'

In simple fact, shortstop was Willingham's position at the College of North Alabama. He or she was a 17th round alternative in the 2000 First-Year Player Draw up and spent much of his Minor League years seeking to settle in a position. He performed infield, outfield, even catcher. In fact, he's enjoyed 15 games in the Majors guiding the plate, so maybe Yost has an emergency catcher at hand.

Now, at 35, Willingham is considered primarily a DH who can also play left field. Earlier, he'd played 23 activities at Kauffman Stadium and hit about three homers with 11 RBIs and a .278 average. It's a big park.

'I seem like if I hit the basketball good and pull the item, I can hit it out,' he said.

Willingham has good feelings about the Royals.

'You recognize the confidence that this team plays with and that's the first thing that stands out,' he said. 'And once you look at the group, player-by-player, you realize there's a lot of talent within this team.'

Yost figures that being on a hot contending club will probably elevate Willingham's game as he hunts for his first postseason encounter.

'Look, this game is about winning American football games. You can talk to Josh regarding playing on a team that's throughout last place,' Yost mentioned. 'You go out and you play with high intensity, and you play with energy, but once you're losing, it's hard. It is not as much fun.'