Twins taking a chance on journeyman first baseman Mike Ford

Joe Nelson | Jan 2, 2025

May 21, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds designated hitter Mike Ford (38) reacts after striking out in the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Mike Ford has some dynamite in his bat. It's just a matter of making solid contact.

That'll be his goal when he reports to spring training with the Minnesota Twins, who have signed him to a minor-league contract with an invitation for major league spring training, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

His real name is Michael Harrison Ford, so at a minimum the signing should make for some good memes and encourage people to watch Harrison Ford co-star in the Apple TV series "Shrinking." It's quite good, to be honest...

As for baseball, Ford spent the first three years of his big-league career (2019-2021) with the Yankees. In 2022 he bounced around with the Giants, Mariners, Braves and Angels. He then played 83 games for the Mariners in 2023 before spending last season partially in Japan and then with the Reds.

While Ford hit for a .150 batting average and had just one home run in 17 games with the Reds last season, he was solid in a semi-regular role with the Mariners in 2022, slashing .228/.323/.475 with 16 homers and 34 RBIs.

He had just 50 hits in 251 plate appearances in 2022, but 16 cleared the fence for a home run per hit rate of 32%. So, yeah, when he squares it up, the baseball goes a long way.

Ford will have a chance to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster since the only other players capable of playing first base currently good enough to compete for playing time are Eddy Julien and Jose Miranda.