Mariners Just Got a New Reason to Rethink How Their Top Prospect Should Be Used Going Forward .MH

Catching is a tough job — it’s not meant for everyone.

You might have missed it among all the romance of the Mariners’ 2025 season, but one of Seattle’s top prospects finally made his debut. Harry Ford, who was the organization’s top-ranked prospect in 2023, made a total of eight plate appearances in the big leagues this year while catching 14 total innings. It was the textbook definition of a “cup of coffee” but don’t worry, he made the most out of his brief visit.

But looking to the future begs the question: Where exactly does he fit in the Seattle picture? Cal Raleigh could be on the roster through 2031 and based on what he did this past year, it would take a miracle or a tragedy to move him out of the starting spot behind the dish. Furthermore, recent data related to the new incoming Automated Ball-Strike System may indicate that if Ford wants to stay in Seattle, he’ll have to try a new position.

Harry Ford was the worst defender at challenging ball-strike calls in the minor leagues in 2025

Tom Tango is an important figure in the world of baseball analytics and when not at his day job of serving as a Senior Database Architect for MLB, keeps a blog where he writes about things he finds particularly scintillating. He detailed findings on ABS challenge considerations last month and pointed out that Harry Ford was the worst challenger on defense in the minors this season. He challenged a total of 93 times, overturning 47 and losing 46. Based on the pitches that he challenged, his record should have been 56-37.

Now that pitch framing seems like it will be naught but a lost art with the full rollout of ABS, one might imagine that commanding the strike zone from behind the dish is no longer a relevant factor of a catcher’s skillset but Davy Andrews of FanGraphs begs to differ. According to him, it could create even more separation between elite defensive catchers and the rest of the lot.

Great athletes are often versatile and Harry Ford is no exception. If he did move to the outfield, he’d be far from the first to do so. Several players have done so in the big leagues and perhaps the best and most recent example is Daulton Varsho who, after being a primary catcher in college and in his first few years in the majors, has now fully transitioned into being one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball.

So what will it be for Ford? If the Mariners decide that he’s too good of an athlete to give up, do they move him to the outfield where he was already getting a few reps in the minor leagues? If they decide that he’s simply not what the team needs right now, which team will be lucky enough to land him? Will they run in to the same positional dilemma? At the moment, there are a lot of questions surrounding Ford and not a lot of answers.