Minor league free agent Mike Ford is making a strong bid for a roster spot
PEORIA, Ariz. — Between 2019 and 2023, when Cincinnati Reds first baseman Mike Ford bounced between six teams in five years, he said that he felt pressure to “hit a home run every day" to keep his spot on a big league roster.
Ford wasn’t a top prospect, and he created opportunities for himself with his power. The teams he played for expected him to be a slugging first baseman. Ford had some hot stretches at the plate during that five-year run to help him stick in the big leagues, but he didn’t show quite enough to stay on one team for very long.
In 2023, Ford had a solid season with the Seattle Mariners but still got designated for assignment at the end of the season. Before he signed a minor league deal with the Reds in February, he made some big adjustments in an effort to finally find that sustained success at the plate.
The early results have been a strong spring training with the Reds. With what he has shown at the plate in camp, Ford has an inside track to a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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He still has plenty of power, which he showed on Thursday as he belted two home runs against the Seattle Mariners. But entering this year, Ford views himself as more than a power hitter.
“I’ve stayed within my process,” Ford said. “It’s nice to see something you work on for three months pay off. It’s opening another chapter in my book. The power will always be there. The feeling of having to hit a home run to stay isn’t where I’m at. Be boring, take your hits. The home runs will come.”
In 83 games with the Mariners last year, Ford posted a .798 OPS, which was above league average for his position. But his success relied on power. He hit 16 home runs on the season but only posted a .228 batting average.
Ford’s adjustments heading into 2024 help him be more well-rounded.
“I’m getting back to being a complete hitter instead of being a power hitter,” Ford said. “I wanted a deeper barrel so I could handle sliders better. I reopened the field all the way from line to line instead of just pulling a lot of hits to the left side. With where my role has been, I mainly focused on power to stay where I was at. But one or two extra hits a week does a lot for you. To have that in the bag is a good thing.”
Ford is one of 13 position players remaining in Reds camp. While he hasn’t been guaranteed a spot, he’s doing everything he can to make that happen. On Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, Ford crushed two home runs and reached base for the 16th time in 33 spring training at-bats.
If Ford makes the Reds’ Opening Day roster, he’d likely receive frequent at-bats as a designated hitter, a first baseman and a bench bat.
"He can hit," Reds manager David Bell said. "He has power. He can get hot. That’s what some Mariners people were just telling me. He can do some real damage. He’s just a good hitter, and he’s continuing to get better. Really he just has to get his bat on the ball with that kind of power."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mike Ford, a minor league free agent, makes a strong case this spring
