Harry Ford’s first season with the Nationals did not come close to matching the expectations that followed him into the organization.
Paul Toboni’s first major move as Nationals POBO was landing Ford from Seattle in exchange for Jose A. Ferrer, a deal that pointed toward Ford eventually becoming the club’s catcher of the future.
With Cal Raleigh no longer standing in his way, Ford looked like the kind of young backstop Washington could build around. Instead, the 23-year-old spent much of the year trying to find his footing.
Washington’s decision to keep him out of the big league roster out of spring training hinted that the team wanted more development time. Even so, the expectation was that Ford would force his way into the conversation quickly.
That never really happened. He opened the season badly in Triple-A and never looked like the same hitter who had posted an .868 OPS there last year.
The early numbers were rough. On May 10th, Ford was hitting .188 with a .557 OPS, and the power that had once been part of his appeal was mostly absent.
He was also striking out more. For a player whose profile was supposed to carry some real upside, that was a tough way to begin life in a new organization.
Ferrier’s side of the trade mattered too, if only because it became part of the conversation around the deal. Jose A.
Ferrer got plenty of attention from Nationals fans, and while he did flash at times, his season settled into more ordinary territory. In 73 outings, he posted a 4.18 ERA and a 4.09 FIP.
Those are useful numbers, but not the sort that make Washington regret moving a catcher for him.
Ford did begin to straighten things out in Triple-A as the season moved along. His OPS climbed month by month, and he was over .800 in both June and July. Then, after Drew Millas’ injury around the All-Star Break, Ford finally got his chance in the majors.
The results in Washington were mixed, which is about as generous as it gets. He hit only .190, but he also walked at a 14.4% clip, which helped him finish with a .664 OPS.
Defensively, he had issues with blocking, yet he was not a complete liability behind the plate, finishing with a -2 FRV and a -1 DRS. That is not the kind of line that inspires confidence, but for a backup catcher, it is workable.
The real question now is what happens next. Ford’s offseason has to be about getting his power back.
In 2025, he hit 16 homers and showed legitimate pop, backed by an 88.8 MPH average exit velocity and a 103.4 MPH 90th percentile EV. That version of Ford never really showed up this season.
In Triple-A, his average exit velocity sat at 85.2 MPH and his EV90 was 101.8. Against big league pitching, those numbers dipped even further to 84.9 MPH and 101.2 MPH.
For Ford to grow into a starting-caliber catcher, that power needs to return. There were reports that he dealt with nagging shoulder problems this year, which at least offers one explanation for the drop-off.
What still travels for Ford is the strike-zone control. He chased only 18.7% of the time in the majors, and that skill showed up right away.
The problem is that walks alone only take a hitter so far when the contact quality and impact are both light. He showed a few flashes, including a homer against the A’s in one of his first games, but not enough to build on.
There is still a believable path here. At catcher, the offensive bar is lower, and Ford’s ability to draw walks gives him a real chance to be useful.
He could settle in as a league-average type with solid defense, and that would matter. One comparison that fits the shape of the profile is Keibert Ruiz this season, though Ford would get there in a different way, with walks doing more of the heavy lifting.
Even with that path, this season lowered the ceiling a bit. Ford still looks like a major league catcher, but maybe more as part of a tandem than as an unquestioned every-day answer. A platoon with Ruiz is easy enough to picture, and it could give Washington a solid pairing.
The biggest swing factor remains the bat speed. Ford’s average bat speed was 69.2 MPH, and the swing, by the eye test, looked slow. If he can sharpen that part of his game this offseason, the rest of the profile has a chance to rebound.
For all the disappointment, Ford still finished with 0.4 fWAR and 0.3 bWAR. That is not nothing.
It just falls short of what Washington hoped for when Toboni made the move. He has a chance to come back stronger in 2027 and show why the Nationals invested so heavily in him.
In Other News...
Nationals Face A Defining Offseason Call On Their Pitching Plans
The Nationals are heading into an offseason where the pitching plan is impossible to ignore. President of baseball operations Paul Toboni acknowledged the need to upgrade the staff, and the conversation in Washington now centers on how aggressive the club wants to be while trying to keep faith in its own arms. It is the kind of balancing act every front office faces, only this one matters even more after a successful recent season gave the organization a clearer sense of where it stands.
Washington has options, at least in theory, but each comes with tradeoffs. Free agency could bring immediate help to both the rotation and bullpen, while the clubs internal pitching prospects offer a cheaper path that might take longer to pay off. The Nationals are sorting through how to reinforce both groups at once, and the answer they settle on should say plenty about how quickly they believe the roster can move from encouraging to truly complete. [Read more 🡒]