After 'shocking' trade to Nats, Ford ready to compete for starting job

ORLANDO – Before catcher Harry Ford traveled across the pond to visit his family, he learned he was going to be playing baseball across the United States with a new Major League team.

Ford, 22, was home in Georgia when he got the call that he was traded from the Mariners to the Nationals for right-hander Jose A. Ferrer in a three-player deal.

“It was shocking,” Ford said from Oxford, England, on a Zoom Monday morning. “But I’m ready to do it with this team as well.”

A 2021 first-round Draft pick out of high school, the Mariners were the only organization Ford had known. Ranked as MLB’s No. 42 overall prospect, Ford had spent most of that time developing in the Minor Leagues. He made his big league debut on Sept. 5 and appeared in eight games as a September callup.

But on a championship-contending club headlined by MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, there wasn’t a path for Ford to earn regular playing time. Still, the sudden departure caught him by surprise.

“It hit me pretty hard,” Ford said. “They called me, and I was OK. Then I was with my mom, and I was pretty sad just about all I've known as the Mariners and the relationships and the people that have been around there. It definitely hit hard knowing I’m not going to see them anymore, or consistently.”

Ford comes to a Nationals team where he will be around many familiar faces. He played with Dylan Crews, Brady House, Daylen Lile, Nasim Nuñez and James Wood.

“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.”

And on this young club, he will have the opportunity to contend for a consistent – if not starting – role behind the plate.

Starting catcher Keibert Ruiz, who is under contract through the 2030 season, was sidelined by concussions last season. In his 68 games played, Ruiz batted .247 with a .595 OPS and one caught stealing above average.

“I love that I’m going to get a chance to fight for a spot on the team,” Ford said. “I know the other catchers, Ruiz and [Riley] Adams, and so I’m really glad and excited to get to work with them as well. But I am thankful for the chance to be, I guess, a little more in the conversation than in Seattle.”

This offseason, Ford plans to continue to tap into his athleticism to make improvements on both sides of the field. Last year, he batted .283 with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 74 RBIs and seven stolen bases with Triple-A Tacoma.

“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.”

Ford also had a .984 fielding percentage and a 23 percent caught stealing rate. He has a continual focus on plate framing, blocking and throwing.

When Ford reports to Spring Training in West Palm Beach, Fla., and meets his new teammates, he hopes to share what he has learned from a veteran catching crew.

“My hope and my desire is that I would reflect those qualities of putting the guys above myself and walking in a servant leadership style,” Ford said. “That's when it comes to the scouting report and calling pitches in-game and trying to lead them in-game. I hope and pray that those qualities would reflect me because Cal does a great job of that, Mitch [Garver] does an awesome job, and a lot of guys in the Minor Leagues, too, we talked about that. I hope that would be something that they would see in me.”