The state of Georgia has produced four first-round catchers in the last seven Drafts -- Max Pentecost, Tyler Stephenson, Anthony Seigler, Joey Bart -- and Ford has better all-around tools than any of them. The track record of high school catchers taken in the first round scares clubs, but Ford has the bat and athleticism to profile well at several other positions as well. One scout likened him to Craig Biggio for his ability to theoretically play catcher, second base or center field.
Ford features some of the best bat speed in the high school class and has a track record of making loud contact against quality pitching, though he sometimes tries to do too much at the plate. He's also strong and has good leverage in his right-handed swing, so he has all of the ingredients to have average or better power. He's very fast for a catcher, clocking a 6.42-second time in the 60-yard dash at the East Coast Pro showcase.
There's no doubt that Ford can remain behind the plate, though he still needs to polish up his footwork to get the most out of his solid to plus arm strength. Quick and agile, the Georgia Tech recruit has stood out as a receiver while handling premium stuff on the showcase circuit. Though he doesn't have a lot of experience at other positions, he has the athleticism, quickness and arm to play second base, third base or anywhere in the outfield.
Ford was the second catcher off the board when he went to the Mariners with the 12th overall pick in 2021, and he’s become well known in prospect circles for his work in the All-Star Futures Game (2023, 2024, 2025) and Arizona Fall League (2024) and to wider baseball audiences for his Great Britain heroics. After playing at one Minor League club per year, he ascended to Triple-A in 2025, made a limited debut with Seattle in September (when he was blocked by Cal Raleigh) and was traded to the Nationals in the offseason for left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer.
Ford has run high walk rates throughout his career, and in 2025, he swung at pitches outside the zone only 21 percent of the time at Triple-A per Synergy -- a chase rate that would have ranked in the 91st percentile of the Majors. He works with a toe tap to stay on time and runs average to above-average exit velocities. His 16 homers for Tacoma were a career high in ’25, and he could be a potential 15-18 homer threat with high enough OBPs to make him a decent hitter in his second organization.
Once considered a plus runner capable of swiping 30+ bags in a season, Ford slowed down in his age-22 campaign with weaker home-to-first times, and his steal total fell to only seven in 97 games in the Minors. He should still have more wheels than a typical backstop, and there are other ways his athleticism still plays, like with his occasional sub-1.8 pop times. His framing has steadily improved but is not up to average Major League-quality yet. Many believed he’d get a longer look in the outfield, but for now, he should get every opportunity to win a spot behind the plate in D.C.
Ford was the top prep backstop and the second-highest ranked catcher in the 2021 Draft class, and was taken as such when the Mariners selected him No. 12 overall, after college catcher Henry Davis went No. 1 overall to the Pirates. The Georgia prep product has moved a level at a time over his four full seasons of pro ball, going to three Futures Games (in '23, '24 and '25) and starring for Great Britain in international competition, including the World Baseball Classic. He made a late-season, limited debut with the M’s in 2025 before being sent to the Nationals in the offseason in a trade for left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer.
Playing as one of the younger players at every level, Ford has yet to put it all together in terms of statistical performance, but the right-handed hitter has shown some traits that point to plenty of future success. His 265 combined walks in his three full seasons place him second among all Minor Leaguers in that time span and he had a career .404 on base percentage heading into '25. Now using a simplified toe tap at the plate to help his timing, he has shown the ability to drive the ball to all fields. There’s loft in his swing, which translated to a career-high 16 home runs this year in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League.
Ford offers a unique profile as a catcher with plus speed, one who stole 35 bases in '24 and 82 bags over three years, giving him 20-20 potential. He still has work to do with his overall defensive work in terms of blocking and framing, but he has strong leadership skills, works hard at his craft and his agility plays well behind the dish. For the first time, he did see time in left field last year as the Mariners worked to add some positional flexibility to his resume.
The Mariners have taken a high school hitter with their first Draft pick three years in a row, a run that started when they took Ford out of the Georgia prep ranks No. 12 overall in 2021. He’s moved up a level every year, from the Arizona Complex League during his summer debut to the Single-A California League in 2022 and then up to the High-A Northwest League last year before making a stop in the Arizona Fall League, all while becoming an international sensation playing for Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic and other competition.
The right-handed-hitting backstop will be just 21 for the entirety of the 2024 season and has already shown some serious offensive ability. He has a very advanced approach at the plate, finishing third among all Minor League hitters in 2023 with 103 walks. There’s at least above-average power he’s still learning to tap into, and he can drive the ball to all fields. He’s a plus runner who swiped 47 bags over his first two full seasons of pro ball, and he has 20-20 potential at the highest level.
That athleticism is an asset for Ford behind the dish as well. His plus arm plays well, and he displays the kind of leadership that teams covet from the position, while his agility has helped earn him comparisons to Craig Biggio and Russell Martin. A student of the game, Ford has every chance to be an elite-level catcher in the big leagues who impacts the game on both sides.
Ford continued a strong line of catchers from Georgia when he became the fifth backstop from the Peach State in eight Drafts to go in the first round when the Mariners took him No. 12 overall in 2021. An alum of the DREAM Series, Ford’s offensive potential and athleticism have been on display since he signed. That was particularly true after he shrugged off a sluggish start in his first full season to post a .942 OPS from June 1 through the end of 2022.
The Mariners are confident that the Ford who performed in the second half of last year is the real deal and has the chance to be an outstanding hitter from the right side of the plate with at least above-average power in the future. He has tremendous raw pop and is just learning to tap into it. He has shown an ability to drive the ball to all fields, exhibiting excellent pitch-recognition traits and very solid barrel rates, especially for his position.
Ford doesn’t just “run well for a catcher;” he has plus speed that allows him to be a basestealing threat. His athleticism is a huge plus on both sides of the ball, earning him comparisons to Hall of Famer Craig Biggio -- Ford would be capable of moving around the diamond like Biggio did -- and All-Star Russell Martin. His strong arm and blocking skills point to a long-term future behind the plate, especially if he can continue to refine his framing skills.
Ford was the top-ranked high school catcher and second overall backstop behind only eventual No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis in the 2021 Draft class. While the history of high school catchers in the Draft is spotty, Ford’s bat and athleticism attracted the Mariners’ attention. He wowed Seattle officials in a private workout as the Draft approached, cementing him as the No. 12 overall pick, then performed well in a 19-game debut in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
During batting practice in front of GM Jerry Dipoto and others, Ford wowed with his ability to drive the ball consistently the other way to right-center field, doing so with a weighted sleeve on his bat and reminding some of Edgar Martinez's approach to hitting. When asked to shed the extra weight and pull the ball, the right-hander showed ridiculous raw power, hitting balls out to his pull side with ease. Sure, it was just a BP session, but it spoke to the confidence Ford has in his approach and feel for hitting, all of which showed up after he signed.
A premium athlete with plenty of strength, Ford has gotten some Craig Biggio comps because of his speed and many evaluators' belief that he could play second base or center field. But the Mariners feel very confident in his ability to stick behind the plate, showing a strong arm and more than enough tools to work with to be a big league starting backstop in the future.
The state of Georgia has produced four first-round catchers in the last seven Drafts -- Max Pentecost, Tyler Stephenson, Anthony Seigler, Joey Bart -- and Ford has better all-around tools than any of them. The track record of high school catchers taken in the first round scares clubs, but Ford has the bat and athleticism to profile well at several other positions as well. One scout likened him to Craig Biggio for his ability to theoretically play catcher, second base or center field, one reason why the Mariners weren’t afraid to take him No. 12 overall in the 2021 Draft and sign him for a full-slot bonus of $4,366,400.
Ford features some of the best bat speed from his high school class and has a track record of making loud contact against quality pitching, though he sometimes tries to do too much at the plate. He's also strong and has good leverage in his right-handed swing, so he has all of the ingredients to have average or better power. He's very fast for a catcher, clocking a 6.42-second time in the 60-yard dash at the East Coast Pro showcase last summer.
There's no doubt that Ford can remain behind the plate, though he still needs to polish up his footwork to get the most out of his solid to plus arm strength. Quick and agile, Ford stood out as a receiver while handling premium stuff on the showcase circuit. Though he doesn't have a lot of experience at other positions, he has the athleticism, quickness and arm to play second base, third base or anywhere in the outfield.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Year
HR
2026
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Player
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's batted balls would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
