PEORIA, Ariz. — The Mariners' top prospect currently is on a break from his first big-league spring training, but he isn't exactly resting on his laurels.
Catcher Harry Ford has been the star of Team Great Britain during the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), where he hit a pair of home runs, one of which helped propel the country to its first-ever WBC win.
"Playing against all those All-Stars, Team USA, Canada, all of them, in terms of baseball experience, it's absolutely perfect," Ford told KING 5's Chris Egan about getting the chance to play in the WBC.
Ford was born in Atlanta but is eligible to play for Team Great Britain by virtue of both his parents being born there.
In a 6-2 loss to Team USA on Saturday, Ford got the chance to face off against seasoned MLB pitchers like Adam Wainwright and Kyle Freeland. As opposed to the casual atmosphere of a spring training game, Ford got the chance to face these pitchers in an intense, playoff-like environment.
Prior to leaving Mariners camp for the WBC, Ford also got the chance to soak up knowledge from two of Seattle's major-league catchers: Tom Murphy and Cal Raleigh.
"I think I've learned the most from Murph. He's teaching me about the game obviously and what the job of a catcher is, to be there for pitchers, to be engaged all the time, how to get the best out of guys, how to be successful in this profession," Ford told KING 5.
Ford, 20, will begin the 2023 season in the minor leagues.