M’s confident AquaSox’s Ford has what it takes to succeed

By Adam Jude / The Seattle Times

For a week of intensive studying in March, Harry Ford felt like he was back in school.

He took meticulous notes by hand and organized them in a three-ring binder. He stayed up late pouring through scouting reports. He used flash cards to quiz himself on key details.

All that, and more, for the Seattle Mariners’ 20-year-old top prospect to prepare for his debut in the World Baseball Classic, against an All-Star lineup from Team USA. As the catcher for a Great Britain team playing in the WBC for the first time, less than two years after playing his last high-school game in Georgia, Ford was tasked with calling pitches against the likes of Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, et al.

Welcome to the show, kid.

“That was the first time in my life I was like: ‘Well, you can’t just go out and play this game. You have to have a plan,’” Ford recalled recently.

Playing in the WBC was a valuable learning experience for Ford and his development, and the Mariners have pushed him, in his second full season of pro ball, to continue with his graduate-level development with the Mariners’ High-A club, the Everett AquaSox.

Even as one of the youngest players in the Northwest League, Ford has remained ahead of the class curve, ranking among the league leaders in on-base percentage, walks and steals, and earning an invitation to play Saturday in the Futures Game, a showcase for baseball’s top prospects, as part of the MLB All-Star Week festivities at T-Mobile Park.

Jonatan Clase, a 21-year-old center fielder at Double-A Arkansas, is the other Mariners prospect playing in the Futures Game.

The goal, of course, is for both to return to T-Mobile Park at some point in the near future as fully developed major-leaguers.

That’s where Ford’s outlook becomes a little unpredictable and, nearly, unprecedented.

Across the sport, the success rate for catchers drafted directly out of high school is low. For every J.T. Realmuto (a third-round pick out of high school in 2010), there are three or four catchers like Steven Baron, a Mariners first-round pick in 2009.

Baron went on to appear in just 13 major-league games, four with the Mariners.

In the history of the franchise, the Mariners have had one catcher they drafted out of high school emerge into a regular major-leaguer in Seattle: Dave Valle, a second-round pick in 1978.

So, yes, the odds are stacked against Ford.

The Mariners knew this — knew the hurdles stacked in front of young catchers — before they made Ford their first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in 2021. They drafted him anyway.

Why?

“It’s the combination of the makeup and the way this kid works and the confidence he has with himself. He’s so comfortable in his own skin,” said Andy McKay, the Mariners assistant general manager who served as the club’s director of player development when Ford was drafted.

“And he has almost freakish athleticism. All that together makes you feel very comfortable with the pick. And since we’ve had him, he’s answered all the calls.”

Patience is the key for catchers, and for the organizations building them up. Such are the demands of the position defensively — learning a pitching staff and game-planning every night — that developing a catcher usually takes longer than any other position player.

“Baseball is the only sport in the world that turns over play calling to an on-field player,” McKay said. “Put that in the context of, he’s going to call 150 pitches a night, that’s really 150 defensive plays. We’re the only sport that does that, and the mental bandwidth that a really good catcher is taxed with is enormous.”

The Mariners, in effect, have asked Ford to continue with his rigorous studies.

Ford, whose parents were both born in Great Britain, said academics were always a high priority in his house growing up. Before being drafted, he had committed to play at Georgia Tech, and for a while, he liked the idea of studying engineering.

He said he enjoys the necessary studying that comes with being a catcher. He says he wants to learn, and he’s eager to get better.

“I feel like, if you have an edge in learning — and wanting to learn more — then you’re going to retain a lot more and you’re just going to be a lot better in general,” he said.

Even playing with teammates who are typically several years older, Ford has emerged as a team leader. He seems himself that way. And he’s often the one organizing clubhouse birthday celebrations, and he’s quick to offer teammates a car ride to the ballpark or back home after games.

“I think that’s just who I am,” he said. “I’m not the type of person to sit back and let someone else do it. I kind of like being up in the front and being vocal. That’s why we catch, you know?”

Because of his speed, athleticism and advanced approach at the plate, there has been speculation Ford could ultimately be moved to another position — outfield? third base? — to lighten his workload and accelerate his arrival to the majors.

But a legitimate two-way catcher is one of the most valuable commodities in baseball, and the Mariners are going to do everything they can to maximize Ford’s development behind the plate.

And Ford, himself, has no intention of packing up his catcher’s gear anytime soon.

He can remember the first time he put on catchers gear, when he was 8 years old. A perfect fit.

Ford has veteran catchers around him helping in his development.

Ryan Scott, a former catcher in the Mariners system, is in his first season as the AquaSox manager, and he also worked closely with Ford last year as a coach at Low-A Modesto.

Dan Wilson, the only Mariners catcher named to an MLB All-Star Game (in 1996), has spent time with Ford in spring training and in Everett.

And Mariners manager Scott Servais, a former big-league catcher, got to know the top prospect during Ford’s first major-league camp this spring.

“Obviously, developing a high-school catcher is very challenging, just because they haven’t played at a high level and they’re not used to the rigors of playing every day. And often times if you do that before you’re physically or mentally mature, it will really wear you down,” Servais said. “But one thing I’ll say about Harry, having spent time with him, is he’s very unique. He’s physically built out. He’s a well-rounded kid. I love his skill set. He can really throw. He has some power. I think he’s really smart and I think he has an opportunity to be a difference-maker behind the plate, but he does need reps. Any time you try to rush a young catcher, it can be a challenge.”