High school catching is notoriously volatile when it comes to draft projections. That demographic will include North Cobb High’s Harry Ford in 2021. Ford will attempt to become the school’s first draftee since C.J. Bressoud was selected in the 26th round in 2003. The modern player has a very good chance to be a mid-to-late first-round selection based on several intriguing tools. The last high school catcher drafted in the first round was Drew Romo, who went to the Colorado Rockies in 2020.
Harry Ford 2021 MLB Draft Profile
Ford is a 5’10”, 200-pound catcher from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. The right-handed batter is currently committed to Georgia Tech if he chooses not to sign with his drafting team. MLB.com’s big board rates Ford as the 13th-best player in the class while Baseball America’s has him at 17. He is the top high school catcher on either board and the second-best overall after Louisville’s Henry Davis.
Strengths
The thing that stands out the most with Ford on offence is his bat speed. It lets him catch up to pitches quickly and make loud contact against the high level of pitching he faces in the Georgia high school system. MLB rates both his hit and power tool as 50s out of 80.
Scouting reports also note his general athletic ability and excellent speed for the position. It’s enough to keep him behind the plate, but it could mean he moves around to multiple positions similar to former MLB star Craig Biggio. Nobody should be predicting that sort of career for the young man right now, but it is worth some consideration given how few catching prospects display Ford’s overall skill set. Being able to move around the diamond and hit only raises the ceiling on his potential future.
Weaknesses
Ford’s danger is simply that he is a high school catcher. The demographic has produced just one notable major leaguer player in years and that was Twins star Joe Mauer. Picking someone like Ford is very risky for some teams depending on their evaluation and development abilities. He also has more potential as a power hitter than a contact one, but that also might not matter as the offensive environment changes over the next few years.
The good thing is that Ford’s weaknesses are not necessarily anything unique to him as an individual. They are also lessened somewhat if his athleticism helps him move around the diamond; being able to play second base or centerfield is a huge advantage if the rigors of catching are too demanding.
MLB Comp
Ford isn’t the most unique player in terms of body type. That gives us several active examples to use as potential comparisons. One that stands out is Los Angeles Angels catcher Max Stassi. The Oakland Athletics originally picked Stassi in the fourth round of the 2009 Draft from a California high school. The 30-year-old backstop has collected almost 700 plate appearances at this point with a .231/311/390 slash line. Nobody will confuse Stassi for a lineup mainstay, but a player who’s contributed 2.1 WAR in limited time is a fine starting point for someone with Ford’s background.
Players Mentioned: Drew Romo, Henry Davis, Craig Biggio, Joe Mauer, Max Stassi
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
