Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Mike Ford Selected By Seattle Mariners In MLB Rule 5 Draft
December 14, 2017 | Baseball
PRINCETON, N.J. – Former Princeton Tiger Mike Ford has been selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 11th pick in the Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft.
Ford, originally from the New York Yankees organization, must be kept on the Major League 25-man roster for the entire year or else be offered back to the Yankees.
"Mike has a great opportunity," said Scott Bradley, Robert H.B. Baldwin '42 Head Coach of Baseball. "Mariners' manager Scott Servais is very familiar with Mike since his son, Tyler, played for us and was a teammate of Mike's for several years."
In 2017, the former Tiger spent time with Trenton (AA) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). He hit .270 in 126 games with a .404 on-base percentage and a .471 slugging percentage. He hit 20 home runs, knocked in 86 RBI and finished with 94 walks and just 72 strikeouts.
Ford was one of the best players in Princeton history and had one of the great individual seasons in 2013 as he earned both the Ivy Player and Pitcher of the Year awards. He was the first Princeton player to ever win Player of the Year and made Ivy history as the only player to receive all three top awards in a career, as he was named Rookie of the Year in 2011. He would later pick up Louisville Slugger/CollegeBaseballInsider.com All-America Honorable Mention utility accolades.
In 2013, at the plate, Ford hit .320 (47-for-147) for second-best on the team. He ranked in the top-10 in the Ivy League in 10 categories, including No. 1 in walks (31), No. 2 in home runs (6), No. 3 in RBI (38) and No. 4 in on-base percentage (.443). On the mound, he went 6-0 with a league-leading 0.98 ERA, third-best in a season in program history. In nine starts, he tallied five complete games, all in Ivy play, and a shutout victory. Ford ranked first in earned runs allowed (7), opposing batting average (.191) and home runs allowed (0) to place in the top-10 in 10 statistical categories in the league.
For his career, Ford played at Princeton from 2011-13, foregoing his senior season to join the professional ranks. He concluded his Tiger career with a .299 batting average (132-for-442), recording 100 RBI, 78 runs, 72 walks, 22 doubles, 10 home runs and a pair of triples. Ford was also perfect in stolen base attempts, going 5-for-5.
Along with his .986 fielding and .403 on base percentages, the four-time All-Ivy selection owned a 15-8 record on the mound and a 2.83 ERA. Over 29 appearances, he amassed 28 starts, 14 complete games and two shutouts. The righty tossed 96 strikeouts over 184.2 innings.
Ford has played professionally for five seasons where he has posted a .272/.380/.433 slash line for five Yankees' affiliates. He has been named All-Star in the South Atlantic League (2014), Florida State League (2015) and Eastern League (2017) while being honored as a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2017.
Ford, originally from the New York Yankees organization, must be kept on the Major League 25-man roster for the entire year or else be offered back to the Yankees.
"Mike has a great opportunity," said Scott Bradley, Robert H.B. Baldwin '42 Head Coach of Baseball. "Mariners' manager Scott Servais is very familiar with Mike since his son, Tyler, played for us and was a teammate of Mike's for several years."
In 2017, the former Tiger spent time with Trenton (AA) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). He hit .270 in 126 games with a .404 on-base percentage and a .471 slugging percentage. He hit 20 home runs, knocked in 86 RBI and finished with 94 walks and just 72 strikeouts.
Ford was one of the best players in Princeton history and had one of the great individual seasons in 2013 as he earned both the Ivy Player and Pitcher of the Year awards. He was the first Princeton player to ever win Player of the Year and made Ivy history as the only player to receive all three top awards in a career, as he was named Rookie of the Year in 2011. He would later pick up Louisville Slugger/CollegeBaseballInsider.com All-America Honorable Mention utility accolades.
In 2013, at the plate, Ford hit .320 (47-for-147) for second-best on the team. He ranked in the top-10 in the Ivy League in 10 categories, including No. 1 in walks (31), No. 2 in home runs (6), No. 3 in RBI (38) and No. 4 in on-base percentage (.443). On the mound, he went 6-0 with a league-leading 0.98 ERA, third-best in a season in program history. In nine starts, he tallied five complete games, all in Ivy play, and a shutout victory. Ford ranked first in earned runs allowed (7), opposing batting average (.191) and home runs allowed (0) to place in the top-10 in 10 statistical categories in the league.
For his career, Ford played at Princeton from 2011-13, foregoing his senior season to join the professional ranks. He concluded his Tiger career with a .299 batting average (132-for-442), recording 100 RBI, 78 runs, 72 walks, 22 doubles, 10 home runs and a pair of triples. Ford was also perfect in stolen base attempts, going 5-for-5.
Along with his .986 fielding and .403 on base percentages, the four-time All-Ivy selection owned a 15-8 record on the mound and a 2.83 ERA. Over 29 appearances, he amassed 28 starts, 14 complete games and two shutouts. The righty tossed 96 strikeouts over 184.2 innings.
Ford has played professionally for five seasons where he has posted a .272/.380/.433 slash line for five Yankees' affiliates. He has been named All-Star in the South Atlantic League (2014), Florida State League (2015) and Eastern League (2017) while being honored as a MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2017.
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