WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2005
R+:  271/365/326, 236 AB, 4 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 33 BB, 70 K, 18-22 SB

Ford played center and left in advanced rookie ball and did a good job of getting on base, but he struck out in nearly a third of his ABs without producing much power.

2006
A:  283/361/387, 491 AB, 24 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 56 BB, 133 K, 69-84 SB

As the regular centerfielder in low A, Ford showed more power and cut down a little on his strikeouts, although he still fanned more than a quarter of the time.  He stole a lot of bases with a decent percentage of success.

2007
A:  335/398/504, 224 AB, 15 2B, 4 3B, 5 HR, 23 BB, 56 K, 31-41 SB
A+:  231/317/308, 273 AB, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 35 BB, 67 K, 36-42 SB

Ford returned to low A and hit very well, but struggled in high A after a June promotion.

2008
A+ (Mil):  230/322/303, 343 AB, 13 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 46 BB, 88 K, 48-59 SB
A+ (SF):  219/346/266, 128 AB, 4 2B, 1 3B, 23 BB, 42 K, 14-15 SB

Ford continued to struggle in high A and the Brewers traded him to San Francisco in a deadline deal for Ray Durham.  He remained a very effective base stealer and still had trouble making contact.

2009
A+:  300/386/463, 380 AB, 17 2B, 9 3B, 9 HR, 45 BB, 97 K, 35-47 SB

The Giants sent Ford back to high A for the season.  His improved hitting probably was at least partly attributable to the California League.

2010
AA:  251/315/365, 463 AB, 20 2B, 9 3B, 5 HR, 39 BB, 106 K, 37-52 SB
MLB:  0 AB, 2-3 SB

Ford finally moved up to AA.  His walk rate, which had generally been good at lower levels, dropped, probably because pitchers weren’t afraid to challenge him.  His base stealing also suffered as he got thrown out more.  The Giants brought him up in September and he appeared exclusively as a pinch hitter, apart from two innings in center.

2011
R:  375/500/708, 24 AB, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 4 K, 2-3 SB
AA:  279/347/314, 86 AB, 3 2B, 9 BB, 24 K, 6-9 SB
AAA:  211/263/324, 71 AB, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB, 23 K, 10-10 SB
MLB:  286/375/286, 14 AB, 1 BB, 5 K, 7-12 SB

The Giants called Ford up when Andres Torres got hurt in mid-April and Ford remained in the majors until he sprained an ankle in late May.  He appeared mainly as a pinch runner, but got thrown out a lot on steal attempts.  He spent time in the minors rehabbing, then returned to the Giants in September.  The Giants released him after the season.

2012
AAA:  273/326/385, 304 AB, 16 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 23 BB, 61 K, 26-40 SB

The Mariners signed Ford and kept him in AAA all year.  He hit with a little more authority, but that may have been the Pacific Coast League.  His walk rate and SB % both continued to be sub-par.

2013
AAA:  230/307/301, 239 AB, 7 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 27 BB, 56 K, 29-40 SB

Ford played semi-regularly for Indianapolis, depending in part on the other outfielders on the team at any given time.  Alex Presley was with the Indians for over half the year and he got preference in center, and Felix Pie also rated ahead of Ford on the depth chart, so Ford played more left than center.  He struggled at the plate, although he did improve after the All-Star break, hitting .279 as opposed to .203 before.

Ford will be a free agent and probably move on.