With the Washington Nationals set to open spring training, is new catcher Harry Ford the most critical name to watch over the next month? One outlet says so
Pitchers and catchers are officially one day into workouts with spring training in full gear as the Washington Nationals welcome 33 pitchers and six catchers to West Palm Beach among the 63 players initially announced this week.
While all eyes will also be on the pitching staff with a fifth spot in the rotation possibly up for grabs while Cole Henry and Clayton Beeter battle out the closer role among other candidates, but who materializes into the Opening Day catcher continues to trend as one of the biggest storylines for the Nationals over the next month.
After two incidents leading to concussions sidelined him to just 68 games in 2025, veteran Keibert Ruiz will look to prove himself back at full strength in his sixth season with the organization. But for arguably the first time since becoming the full-time starter, Ruiz will have competition after the team acquired Harry Ford on Christmas Eve.
And on Wednesday, ESPN pointed to catcher Harry Ford as the player to watch during the Nationals' spring training with all eyes on whether he can break into an expanded role now that he's no longer sitting behind Cal Raleigh, who ranked as the top catcher in baseball earlier this month.
"Ford is a 23-year-old with 20-homer potential who has steadily improved defensively and is also a plus runner," ESPN noted.
Ford made his MLB debut in 2025 where he appeared in eight games with the Mariners, posting one hit and one RBI along with three strikeouts across six at-bats. In five seasons in the minors, he hit .266 with 52 home runs and 261 RBIs across nearly 1,700 at-bats. He also finished third with a .408 OBP, seventh with 74 walks, 16th with 74 RBIs and 25th with 16 home runs in the Pacific Coast League this offseason.
President of baseball operations Paul Toboni pointed to Ford "making sure that he's doing everything he can from a defensive standpoint" while specifically noting his receiving through spring training with hopes of pushing Keibert Ruiz as the starter.
"I think he's got great hands. He's a great athlete, making sure that manifest in actual production," Toboni said.
Ford will also see somewhat of a break from Spring Training after becoming one of two 40-man players to be named to the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
"He does a really, really good job controlling the zone offensively. He makes a lot of contact, I think there might be some room for improvement in terms of his damage on balls in play. So I think there's a way to do it without selling out for power," Toboni said this week.
Ford arrived as one of two prospects received in exchange for sending Jose Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners back in December, giving the Nationals a long-term piece behind the plate.
"I think the best version of Harry, if we look up, whether it's a month from now, a year from now, or three years from now, he's a really, really good defender that's doing a really good job controlling the zone and getting some power," Toboni added.