On taxi squad, Ford enjoying ‘cool day' in big leagues

ARLINGTON -- The Harry Ford era isn’t ready to take off quite yet.

The Mariners’ No. 5 prospect, and MLB Pipeline’s No. 60 overall, joined the club in Arlington on Friday, taking part in the pitchers’ meeting and catching four or five bullpens before the game. However, he won’t be making his Major League debut.

Ford is on Seattle’s taxi squad as backup catcher Mitch Garver will not require a stint on the injured list after sustaining a jaw injury in Thursday's 10-1 loss to the Twins at Target Field. Despite the non-roster move, Ford is soaking it all in.

“It’s been a cool day,” Ford said. “Pretty wild to be here and get the call, so I’m enjoying it.”

Ford said the biggest surprise was seeing the food spread in the clubhouse compared to the Minor Leagues. From a baseball standpoint, the pitchers’ meeting was much more in depth.

Ford isn’t sure how long he’ll stay with the club, but there’s no question even a day is beneficial.

Asked what he hopes to take away, Ford said: “Be with the guys again, get a feel for the pitching staff, remember how everyone looks, what’s new, what’s not. Just to be around them again is cool.”

Manager Dan Wilson echoed those sentiments, describing Ford’s stint as “educational.”

“Even if it’s a dry run the first time, knowing what it’s like, knowing what to expect, knowing what’s involved with everything,” Wilson said. “He’s had such an incredible season down in Triple-A, so in some ways really glad that he’s able to get the chance to experience this just for a day.

“Obviously, tough circumstances and couldn’t foresee this and what not, but I think there is a silver lining to it. It’s really good to see him after not seeing him since Spring Training, get a chance to say hello, catch up with him and really compliment him on just the season that he’s having.”

Ford has cooled some since his scorching-hot May, when he hit .411 with a 1.120 OPS. But overall, Ford is in the midst of his most productive season since being selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.

For the season, Ford is slashing .311/.426/.469 (.895 OPS) with eight homers, 12 doubles, 43 RBIs, a 17 percent K rate and 15.5 percent walk rate in 60 games, all with Tacoma after being promoted there out of Spring Training.

“I’ve been feeling good, Tacoma’s been great,” Ford said. “[Getting officially called up] is in God’s hands, so whenever they need me, they need me. I’m going to keep playing.”

The Mariners have been adamant about keeping Ford at catcher despite him facing arguably the biggest logjam of any Top 100 prospect at his position, given Cal Raleigh’s emergence as a legitimate AL MVP candidate -- and that Raleigh plays virtually every day.

And Seattle doesn’t intend to sacrifice that plan, which creates intrigue on how often Ford could play at the MLB level, if he’s indeed added to the 26-man roster.

“That six-week period in Spring Training, he flourished,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said earlier this month. “He was raking, really from Day 1. He was one of our best offensive performers in the spring. And we started to see big gains behind the plate. He's always had a cannon. It's a 70 arm on a scouting scale. He's a 60 runner. He's an unbelievable athlete. He works his tail off.

“The game-calling has always been something of a question dating back to his high school years, which is the same for every single high school catcher that has ever signed. And then as you progress through you need to shake the tag, and the way you shake it is just by gaming reps.”

Garver, meanwhile, said he’s jammed his jaw before and expressed little concern about it going forward.

“It’s about managing swelling and pain,” he said.