Overlooked Red Sox Trade Pickup Will Soon Become Fan Favorite

Brennan Bernardino was a fan favorite out of the bullpen for the last few seasons with the Boston Red Sox, so it's only fitting that the player he was traded for should eventually follow in his footsteps.

Right around the time some tough 40-man roster decisions were being made in November, the Red Sox shipped Bernardino to the Colorado Rockies for 27-year-old infielder/outfielder Braiden Ward. And despite having virtually no shot at the opening day roster, Ward has a lot going for him in his organizational debut.

On top of an intriguing skill set, Ward is displaying early signs of the type of personality that typically endears itself to the Red Sox's fan base, and if he clicks, he's got all the tools to become a fun role player on this Boston squad.

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Braiden Ward displays personality to go with electric speed

Ward, who stole an incredible 57 bases in just 97 games in the minors last season, had something of an introductory message to Red Sox fans on Thursday, and it's the sort of thing that resonates with Bostonians: leaving it all out on the field.

"Every day I can’t promise success, but I can promise I play with my hair on fire,” Ward told Christopher Smith of MassLive. “I’m always gonna go 110%. I feel like I play a little bit like (Jarren) Duran in that aspect where there’s no days off. Yeah, I’m going for it.”

Ward hasn't had too much time to introduce himself on the field, with just nine plate appearances in major league spring training as of Thursday. But he hit a ball 109.9 mph on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays, the hardest-hit ball of the game, which certainly turned a few heads.

But Ward noticed something else in that Monday game: He felt an early connection to the fan base.

“I feel like there were more Red Sox fans than Rays fans,” Ward said, per Smith. “It’s like more practice and reps and they’re just taking it so seriously and they’re fired up and we’re fired up.”

If Ward makes his way to the major league roster and steals bases at anything close to the rate at which he was going in the minors, fans will be fired up about him, too.