There are a lot of prospect hounds around and a lot of people like Harry Ford. This is the most updated scouting report, courtesy of Baseball Prospectus:
If Ford was hoping he might play himself into a time-share
at the catcher position by the end of 2025, he should’ve known better than to be drafted to the ballclub of the Big Dumper. As such, Ford spent most of the season handling trade rumors and Triple-A pitching, seemingly with ample success in both cases. Little has shifted for Ford since a season ago. He’ll enter his age-23 season having demonstrated the patience of Job when standing at the plate and the requisite chops to stick when crouching behind it. Ford grades capably as a framer and seems to merit it from the naked eye. His blocking and movements behind the plate, too, have improved to viability, although the Raleigh’s presence may reignite the M’s interest in giving Ford some reps in the outfield.
Ford’s appeal offensively remains consistent, as he’ll ambush pitches here and there to pull big flies with authority, but is frequently seeking to work walks and will not expand outside his zone. An early season injury limited him, particularly as Ford failed to swipe double-digit bags for the first time in his career, but by season’s end he was moving with his usual plus pace. It’s difficult to envision Ford finding the consistent reps he’s earned—and would need to prove anything more than we’ve already witnessed—in Seattle, where he’s slated to serve as the Opening Day backup backstop.
That’s not a bad idea for trying to work someone into their organization. For the Phillies, it would have been nice to get a bit younger at that spot, but for a team with championship aspirations, they were probably hesitant to anoint Ford a starter over someone like J.T. Realmuto.
Still, it is far to wonder: did they miss out on trading for Ford? Even if he wasn’t the starter, the team could have begun working him into the rotation with whoever is the eventual starter. What would the cost have been? Maybe Matt Strahm, maybe a bit more than just Strahm alone.
We’ll never know.
