For Nats' new highly-ranked prospect Ford, '26 will be a season of opportunity

Catcher Harry Ford has been working toward earning a spot on a Major League roster since he was drafted out of high school by the Mariners in 2021. Next season, there is not a question of if he will play in the big leagues with the Nationals but rather how big his role will be.

Washington acquired Ford, 22, from Seattle in exchange for lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer in a three-player deal on Dec. 6. After making his Major League debut last season as a September callup and appearing in eight games in a backstop tandem headlined by Cal Raleigh, Ford will contend with Keibert Ruiz for the Nats’ starting catcher role in Spring Training.

"I don’t think he’s close to what his potential might be,” president of baseball operations Paul Toboni said at the Winter Meetings.

Ford is ranked by MLB Pipeline as MLB’s No. 42 prospect and the Nationals’ No. 2 prospect behind 2025 first overall Draft pick Eli Willits. Ford also is ranked No. 3 among all catching prospects.

Last season, Ford batted .283 with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases with Triple-A Tacoma. Since the beginning of the 2022 season (his first full year of pro ball), he has ranked second among qualified Minor League players in on-base percentage (.405) and walks (339).

“I'd say I'm pretty complete,” Ford said. “I'm not trying to look for walks, and I'm not trying to look for homers. I have moments where I take my chances and I'm going to put a big swing on a 2-0 pitch here and there. But I'm just a gap-to-gap line-drive hitter. I attribute the walks to me being able to wait late, because I’ve got really fast hands so I can see the ball longer. But I just get on base. I find ways to get on base. That’s what I do.”

Behind the plate for Tacoma last season, Ford had a .984 fielding percentage and a 23.5 percent caught-stealing rate. He caught a total of 718 1/3 frames in Triple-A in 2025.

“Our hope is that we look up a couple years from now and see him as an impactful defensive catcher,” said Toboni. “It’ll take work, but I know he’ll embrace it, our staff will embrace it.”

The Nationals will evaluate the catching depth of Ford, Ruiz, Riley Adams and Drew Millas in Spring Training. Manager Blake Butera said the message to Ruiz, who signed an eight-year contract in March 2023, was, “You’re still a big part of these plans.” Ruiz was limited to 68 games last season as he was sidelined by concussions.

“We want all these guys to come into Spring Training and compete,” said Butera. “You get the most out of players when you get a competitive environment, and that’s what we’re looking to create.”

Ford fits into a young Nats roster that is deep with developing players. As the 12th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, he was in the same Draft class as now-teammates Brady House (No. 11), Daylen Lile (second round), James Wood (second round) and Jacob Young (seventh round).

“Everyone's really fresh and on the up-and-coming,” Ford said. “I'm excited to be around some grinders and some dudes that are ready to get after it.”