When the Nats traded for Harry Ford this offseason, the expectation was that he would be in the big leagues before July 17th. However, due to Keibert Ruiz’s resurgence and his own uneven performances, he has had to wait. With Drew Millas going down though, Ford will be getting the call.
It has been an interesting 2026 to say the least for the 23 year old catcher. After the Nats acquired him for Jose A. Ferrer, many including myself thought he would be the starting catcher either at Opening Day or quickly after that. Ford was coming off a great season in AAA where he hit .283 with an .868 OPS. He made his big league debut and even made the playoff roster last year.
However, with Cal Raleigh entrenched in the catcher spot long term, Ford became trade bait. It seemed like a great pickup when the Nats acquired Ford. The results this year have not been amazing, though they are trending in the right direction. For the season, Ford is hitting .223 with a .705 OPS that is mainly driven by his ability to draw walks.
Those numbers don’t exactly scream big league call up, but Ford has been getting better every month. He was 0 for 7 in March and then posted a dreadful .531 OPS in April. However, as the weather has warmed up in Rochester, so has Ford. He had a .716 OPS in May, an .841 in June and a 1.028 so far in July. Since May 1st, Ford has an .817 OPS.
As you can see from this graph, Ford’s super power is his swing decisions. He rarely ever leaves the zone, which provides pitchers with real challenges, especially if they struggle with command. The biggest thing Ford will have to prove in the big leagues is that he can punish pitchers for attacking him in the zone.
This season in AAA, he has not done a great job of that. His exit velocities are down from last year, and so are the power numbers. Ford hit 16 homers in 97 games last year, but only has 4 in 58 this year. Right now his offensive profile is extremely reliant on walks. If he can’t punish mistakes, those walks will be harder to come by in MLB.
It is worth noting that Ford has been showing some more juice lately. He already has a homer and three doubles in 8 July games. The most XBH Ford has had in a month is only five, which he was on pace to easily beat this month. Hopefully that trend can continue as he gets promoted.
I would expect Ford to be matched up a good amount against left handed pitching. On the season, Ford has an .854 OPS against lefties and a .664 mark against righties. This could be a bit of a wonky fit, as Keibert Ruiz has also been better against left handed pitching. I trust Blake Butera to put these guys in the best positions to succeed. He has been doing that all season with his lineups, and that is unlikely to stop now.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ford has the tools to be a solid defender, but has been up and down in his career. With Bobby Wilson, who helped fix Keibert Ruiz’s defense, he will have a great catching coach to lean on.
Nats fans should expect a very patient hitter who works good at bats and can run into an occasional homer. Ford does have some strikeouts issues, but they are not out of control. Ideally, Ford will take this chance and run with it, displacing Drew Millas as the Nats second catcher.
Despite an uneven season, the 23 year old still has plenty of upside. He does not project to be a superstar, but Ford could be a starting catcher who gets on base a ton and plays solid defense. I am very curious to get a look at Ford in the big leagues. It has been frustrating to watch Jose A. Ferrer flourish in Seattle while Ford toils away in AAA. Now, we will get to see the impact of that trade at the big league level.
