5 highlights that will get Mariners fans hyped for Harry Ford's promotion

At long last, Seattle Mariners fans are this close to seeing what the club's No. 12 pick from the 2021 draft is capable of up close. Though the move isn't official just yet, it sure seems like Harry Ford is coming to the big leagues.

The Mariners have been set with the increasingly awesome Cal Raleigh and the suddenly warm Mitch Garver behind the plate, but Garver's wellbeing is suspect after he took a foul ball off the neck and chin in Minnesota on Thursday. As reported by MLB.com's Daniel Kramer (and others), Ford is joining the Mariners in Texas on Friday just in case he's needed:

Update: Kramer reported Friday evening that Garver will not require a stint on the injured list, so Ford's Mariners debut will have to wait.

Regardless of exactly when it happens, Ford's major league debut feels imminent. The 22-year-old backstop began the year as one of the top prospects in MLB, and he's only reinforced his standing with his play for Triple-A Tacoma.

So without further ado, it's a good time to get to know Harry Ford by seeing what he can do.

Harry Ford is a patient, powerful hitter with rare athleticism for a catcher

Just as a bit of background, Ford's first name is actually Harrison. That is worth noting for obvious reasons, but we should also stay on target by noting how MLB Pipeline grades his specific tools in ranking him as the No. 60 prospect in the league:

• Hit: 50
• Power: 55
• Run: 60
• Arm: 50
• Field: 50

In essence, these grades tab the Atlanta, Georgia native as a catcher with above average power and speed, with average tools otherwise. That's an above average player overall, and there aren't many of those to be found at the catching position.

What's more, these grades feel dated...in a good way.

The hit tool is difficult to capture in a single highlight, but just trust us that Ford's approach is as sharp as they come. His 16.1 percent chase rate is the lowest of any Triple-A hitter who's seen at least 600 pitches outside the zone. And of all Pacific Coast League hitters with at least 250 plate appearances, he ranks fifth in walk-to-strikeout ratio with 43 walks against 47 strikeouts. These are big components for both his .311 average and .426 OBP.

It took a minute for Ford's power to show up this year, as he was slugging only .269 at the end of April. This did some damage to his standing for Baseball America, which notably dropped Ford from its top 100 at the outset of May over concerns about his power.

However, Ford then proceeded to slug .553 with seven home runs in 41 games after the calendar flipped to May, with one of his homers being this 442-foot clout from May 13:

Overall, Ford has hit the ball at an average of 90.0 mph with a hard-hit rate of 42.6 percent. The averages for Triple-A are 88.5 mph and 38.8 percent, respectively.

It isn't all pull power for the 5-foot-10, 200-pound righty swinger. He also has gap power to right-center field, as seen in this rope of a double from June 5:

One element from Ford's game that has been absent in 2025 is the stolen base, as he has swiped only three bags after tallying 82 between 2022 and 2024. One can't help but wonder if this is by design, as he needed to shift his focus to proving his bat was major league-ready coming out of a 2024 season in which he slashed .245/.377/.367 for Double-A Arkansas.

But don't worry. The athleticism is still there on defense if nowhere else, as seen in this difficult and daring catch from June 17:

Elsewhere on the topic of defense, Ford's arm was the other big question coming out of last season. He threw out only 19 percent of attempted base stealers, a precipitous fall from a 33 percent caught-stealing percentage for High-A Everett in 2023.

But this year, Ford's caught-stealing rate is back up to 24 percent. Here's a look at a strong, accurate throw to second base:

And another to third base:

The Mariners have been a strong defensive team in 2025, but this is an area where they could use improvement. Their 21 percent caught-stealing rate is below the league average, and it is actually Raleigh who is lagging at 18.9 percent individually.

This is not to suggest that Ford will supplant Raleigh as Seattle's regular catcher, because of course he won't. But if Ford's stay with the Mariners ends up being an extended one, it wouldn't be surprising if he convinced Dan Wilson to split the playing time a little more evenly. As it is, Raleigh has started 60 games at catcher and 18 games at DH.

For the time being, Ford's major league debut will have to wait. Yet no matter what happens going forward, both his numbers and his sheer abilities send a clear message to the Mariners: He's ready.