TAMPA -- The Harry Ford era in Seattle has arrived, as the Mariners on Monday announced that the arrival of their top catching prospect was among their many roster moves as part of September roster expansion.
The club’s No. 4 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 40 overall, Ford was the Mariners’ first-round Draft pick in 2021 at No. 12 overall, and this will mark his long-awaited MLB debut, though Ford was not in the starting lineup for Monday’s series opener vs. the Rays.
“Just stay ready,” Ford said. “Make sure you get to get to know everyone, and it's been a while since I've seen everyone. So just get on the same page with that, but not anything specific so far.”
Here's Monday’s full slate of transactions to expand Seattle’s active roster from 26 players to 28:
- C Harry Ford, selected from Triple-A Tacoma
- RHP Luke Jackson, selected from Tacoma
- INF Leo Rivas, recalled from Tacoma
- RHP Sauryn Lao, designated for assignment
- INF Donovan Solano, released from roster
Ford will be the third catcher on the Mariners’ roster, but that could be useful given that Cal Raleigh and Mitch Garver have regularly been in the lineup in games against left-handed starting pitchers.
Asked specifically if Ford would be slated for starts, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “We will see how it goes. In this stretch, it's really kind of a day to day thing. And you look forward a little bit in terms of wanting to give guys rest when you can and whatnot. But really, it’s kind of day to day. And obviously, if the situation arises, we'll be able to. But it's hard to say for certain at the moment when that'll be or where that will be.”
The Mariners have been adamant about keeping Ford behind the plate despite him facing arguably the biggest logjam of any Top 100 prospect at his position, given Raleigh’s emergence as a legitimate AL MVP candidate -- and that Raleigh plays virtually every day.
That itself is probably the greatest intrigue within Ford’s arrival, as the Mariners have also expressed that they want him to see consistent playing time, which is among the many factors as to why he hadn’t reached The Show until now.
He was nearly called up on June 27 and joined the team in Arlington as a possible injury replacement after Garver was hit on his jaw on a foul ball the day prior. But Garver cleared protocols and Ford returned to Tacoma the next day.
“It was more hard just knowing that my family was all there, and they came out,” Ford said. “My dad flew from England. That was the only, like, tougher part. But it ended up being a really big blessing, because my whole family got to hang out for two days.”
In 97 games this season, all at Tacoma, Ford has 16 homers, 18 doubles, 74 RBIs and 68 runs scored, good for a slash line of .283/.408/.460 (.868 OPS), to go with a 19.2% strikeout rate and 16.2% walk rate. He’s been worth 125 wRC+ (league average is 100).
As a testament to its homegrown talent, with Ford added to the roster, Seattle has its first-round selection from five consecutive Drafts on the active roster: RHP Logan Gilbert (2018), RHP George Kirby (2019), RHP Emerson Hancock (2020), Ford (2021) and INF Cole Young (2022).
In that context, Ford -- who has also been in big league Spring Training each year since 2022 -- will be a familiar face for many.
Young, who’d been a fellow Top 100 prospect until graduating, was Ford's roommate throughout their ascent in the Minors, from Single-A Modesto to High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas. Raleigh has been a mentor. So, too, has Mariners manager Dan Wilson, the former catcher who spent much time with Ford in his previous role as a special assignment coach on the Minors side, especially with Ford’s work in the community.
The switch-hitting Rivas is expected to give the Mariners a backup at shortstop (for J.P. Crawford) and third base (for Eugenio Suárez) and could form a more pronounced platoon at second base (with Young). This will be his second stint in the Majors this season; he hit .283 with a .711 OPS in 30 games before being optioned to Tacoma on May 31.
“Leo allows us to do that,” Wilson said. “That's the kind of thing that we'll be looking for as we go forward here, and being able to spell guys when they need it, helping out where they can. That's definitely something that we consider as we go. But again, it's hard to know exactly when and where that'll be.”
Jackson is the extra pitcher, and potentially one that could give a gassed bullpen a fresh option. The 34-year-old signed a Minor League contract on Aug. 21 after spending time in the Rangers and Tigers organizations earlier this season and has played 10 seasons in the Majors. He pitched in three games at Tacoma, surrendering two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings (7.71 ERA) with four strikeouts and no walks.
Monday’s moves also end Solano’s tenure with the team amidst a stretch in which he’s seen extremely limited playing time, with just 11 plate appearances since the club acquired Josh Naylor on July 24. The 37-year-old was on a one-year, $3.5 million contract signed in January.