Lookout Landing’s 2025 Prospect Rankings: #6 Harry Ford

Time to gas up the old Ford

If you missed last week’s installment of our regularly scheduled prospect series and want to learn a bit about switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, click here If you want to check out the entire series of our complete system rundown, click here.

One of the longest main stays on this list, Harry Ford has been a feature of Top 100 prospects for four years running and long been considered the heir apparent to the catcher position. With the blossoming of Cal Raleigh into an All Star caliber player and Platinum Glover, there has been plenty of talk regarding Harry’s position with the team and whether or not he’d be better off in a different organization. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think it would be foolish to trade Harry Ford for a variety of reasons, but primarily because I think he’s going to be a very good player in the very near future.

This isn’t just an overreaction from a small sample size of spring training at bats; Harry Ford has long been a player I’ve enjoyed getting to watch in minor league ball and think he still has plenty left to show us on the field. I can admit, it’s not been smooth sailing for Ford. He was relatively mundane at the plate last season and left people wondering if he’d ever develop into the power his strength might indicate. It’s fair criticism and the main reason why he’s slipped down some prospect lists. But I think there’s a chance this slippage is somewhat of an overcorrection and the product of prospect fatigue. Ford’s Home/Road splits are drastic, running an OPS 87 points worse when playing in Dickey Stephens Park. Perhaps more encouraging, Ford still managed a .377 OBP on the year as a 21 year old in Double-A. All while managing a pitching staff behind the plate. It’s easy to look at the raw numbers and lose context of his situation, but Ford’s development hasn’t missed a beat since he was drafted and has left him well ahead of the curve.

Ford isn’t the catcher that Cal Raleigh is today, not should he be. Cal is the best catcher in the league for a reason and will remain the starter for the foreseeable future. That said, there is very, very, very, little catching depth present in this system, and Harry Ford is far and away the best they’ve got behind a part time Mitch Garver and some minor league journeymen. Ford’s plate discipline is magnificent, he’s shown he can make contact against premium stuff, and he’s produced some EV’s on his batted balls this spring. Plus, he doesn’t necessarily have to be a catcher. They tried him in the outfield last season in case they want to mold him into an uber-utility player. The power still needs to make it’s way into games more consistently, but last year’s dip in slug screams more of a product of his environment than anything else. Plus, as a 21 year old in Double-A, Ford was roughly 3.5 years younger than the average player at the level and still managed a .745 OPS. He’s may not blow you off the field, but he’s a remarkably steady player and a fantastic club house presence that can provide a lineup with versatility and speed on the bases (he stole 35 bags last season). If that’s a player you’d like to discard, be my guest. Personally, I’d like to see that guy in Northwest Green for a long, long time.