The Seattle Mariners rang in 2025 with a 4-2 win against the Athletics on Thursday at T-Mobile Park. Their Triple-A affiliate and Pacific Northwest neighbors, the Tacoma Rainiers, start their respective season Friday.
The Rainiers' roster will be bolstered by multiple top 100 prospects.
Infielder Cole Young (No. 49 MLB Pipeline, No. 56 Baseball America) will begin 2025 with Tacoma. He'll be joined by fellow top 100 player, catcher Harry Ford (No. 64 MLB Pipeline, No. 95 Baseball America).
Happy #OpeningDay, @RainiersLand!
— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) March 28, 2025
Check out our Triple-A roster to open the season ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/zSrrBJLURA
The 22 year-old Ford is the most experienced of Seattle's seven top 100 prospects. The 2021 first-round draft pick competed in the 2023 World Baseball Classic with Great Britain and played in the MLB All-Star Futures Game twice.
Ford was in big league camp for most of spring as a non-roster invitee. He made an impact while he was on the major league side of the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz. In Cactus League action, Ford hit .421 (8-for-19) with five runs, a home run and six RBIs. He finished the spring with a 1.170 OPS.
That’s SIR Harry Ford pic.twitter.com/eSLxuu2Zgh
— Kick Dirt Baseball (@KickDirtBB) March 15, 2025
Ford hit .249 with seven home runs, 45 RBIs and 35 steals in 116 games last season with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers. The Travelers won the Southern League championship.
There's a potential logjam for Ford when it comes to catching for the Mariners in the majors. Platinum Glove-winning catcher Cal Raleigh signed a six-year deal through 2030 with Seattle and backup Mitch Garver is on the team through 2025. But that hasn't dissuaded Ford from his goals.
"(My main goal) is just to make it to the big leagues," Ford said in a March 15 interview. "And impact the team anyway I can. Help them win games."
Tacoma begins its season against the Round Rock Express at 7:05 p.m. PT on Friday at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash.
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