Mariners catching prospect Harry Ford was called up to the team’s taxi squad earlier this season but didn’t make his MLB debut then. But on September 1, the Mariners officially promoted Ford to Seattle, giving Seattle fans a look at yet another impressive catcher.
A Look at Ford
The Mariners took catcher Harry Ford in the first round four years ago, as Seattle made him the 12th overall pick from a baseball hotbed in Georgia. Since then, Ford’s steadily developed as one of the Minors’ most intriguing bats.
Ford held his own as a 19-year-old three years ago in the California League, as he slashed .274/.425/.438 with 11 home runs in 2022. He then suited up for Team Great Britain in the 2023 WBC, then hit for more power that season in High-A Everett. Ford cracked 15 home runs, 43 extra-base hits, and walked 109 times across 118 games that year.
His power numbers (.118 ISO) were somewhat muted in the Texas League last year. But this season, Ford blasted 34 extra-base hits and posted a .868 OPS across 97 games with Tacoma (AAA). That was despite a slow start to the 2025 campaign
Arguably, Ford’s best asset is the eye. The former first-rounder walked 74 times across 97 games this season with Tacoma, good for fifth in the PCL. Ford rarely expands the strike zone; he hacked at pitches outside of the zone at a rate of 16.6% this season. Roughly one-third of those (31.7%) were breaking balls.
There is some swing-and-miss in his game. Over 57% of his whiffs came on pitches inside the zone this year with the Rainiers.
And as noted earlier, Ford showed the ability to drive the ball with a relatively compact swing, both to the pull side and the opposite field.
One other hitting note on Ford. The 22-year-old generally put up better OBP numbers against lefties throughout his career. However, he’s slugged better against righties. This season, he slashed .296/.432/.478 (.910 OPS) against same-sided pitchers.
Despite being a catcher, Ford also flashed the wheels across his Minor League career. The 22-year-old stole a career-best 35 bases back in 2024. This past season, he swiped seven in 11 attempts.
Defensively, Ford saw eight games in left field last season (he made three errors out there). Aside from that, he’s been a pure catcher. He didn’t allow a passed ball this season in 81 games. Additionally, he posted a 23.5% CS%.
The Mariners officially called up Harry Ford on September 1 when the rosters expanded.
Analysis
From a long-term perspective, Ford should have plenty of value for the Mariners over the coming years.
Ford proved to be an invaluable prospect thanks to his ability to get on base, making him the kind of player who could profile as the top-of-the-order bat who can impact the game with both his eye and bat. Additionally, there’s also another element at play: Cal Raleigh.
Raleigh is a very good framer behind the dish, albeit one who’s never been above-average in terms of blocks. However, Raleigh’s value has been largely derived from the bat. Raleigh has an MLB-best 50 home runs on the season and played in 134 of 137 games this season.
With Mitch Garver coming off the books this year — he has a $12MM mututal option for 2026 that will likely be negated — Ford can easily slot in as a catcher/DH type who can spell Raleigh when the Mariners want to shift him to the designated hitter spot to keep his bat in the lineup. Plus, Seattle won’t take a hit behind the dish with Ford.
Check out more of our MLB coverage, including a look at Royals catching prospect Carter Jensen.