Mariners' top prospect Ford hits first High-A homer

It’s been a whirlwind 2023 for Harry Ford -- or should we say, “Sir” Harry Ford. The top Mariners prospect became something of a cult hero during the World Baseball Classic, having led Great Britain in homers (2), RBIs (4) and OPS (1.246) in its four games played.

To Seattle fans, though, this breakout of sorts on an international stage was not surprising. Ford, the 12th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, put up solid numbers in his full-season debut in 2022 and is starting to get it going in 2023.

MLB’s No. 43 prospect clobbered his first High-A homer as part of a three-RBI night in Everett’s 4-1 win over Vancouver Friday night.

“It felt really good,” Ford said of the homer. “It was the beginning of the game and we needed some runs, and it was a great feeling off the bat.”

The Georgia native made headlines as the starting catcher for the squad across the pond, calling his own games and racking up the extra-base knocks (three of his four total hits) as he faced off against some of the most stacked lineups in the Classic, including an opening game against the US.

"It was amazing getting to represent my family's heritage and bring a spotlight on baseball in England," Ford said.

In a taste of what could be his future in the AL West, he was behind the plate when Mike Trout and Kyle Tucker were digging into the batter’s box. Ford was figuring out how to tackle these All-Star hitters as a 20-year-old backstop.

Those experiences -- including a brief meeting with his idol Freddie Freeman when Great Britain took on Canada -- were invaluable as Ford made the adjustment from a global environment to the West Coast.

“We’re all baseball players, and baseball is really hard, regardless of it’s a Minor League player or a Major League player,” Ford said. “You just have to play your game and go out and compete. It really showed me a lot how they’re not superhuman. It’s just a ball and a bat, so it was a different shift in perspective for sure.”

The righty slugger accounted for three of Everett’s four runs on the night, first lofting a sacrifice fly after falling behind in the count 1-2 in the first frame before smacking a two-run dinger to left off lefty Trenton Wallace in the third.

Ford battled through an 0-for-17 stretch before finally breaking the slump, posting multihit performances in two of his last three games and leaving the yard for the first time as a member of the AquaSox.

Ford is more than confident in his baseball abilities. One of his goals for 2023? Be the best teammate he possibly can.

“Learning how to be a winner and how to win games, and just making the team better and making everyone I’m around better,” Ford said. “I know that I’m pretty good and I can play well. Our team is really good, and I just want to translate that to winning and getting to the playoffs and for everyone to have a good year.”