On 12-5-24, MLB.com posted their top 100 prospects in the
upcoming draft. Beginning 2-2-25, we will post it in backward order, ending
with the pick for 1.1
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2025/draft/ -
#32 Henry Ford
1B Virginia
20/years old
6' 5" 220
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 45 |
Field: 50 | Overall: 50
Ford grew up in the shadow of the University of Virginia and
spent his first two years of high school in Charlottesville, but then moved to
the Baylor School in Tennessee, where he was teammates with Henry Godbout. Ford
followed Godbout back to Virginia and had a tremendous freshman season,
finishing with 17 homers and a 1.006 OPS, enough to earn first-team freshman
All-American honors from D1 Baseball and making him one of the more intriguing
Draft-eligible sophomores in the class.
Ford is a big, 6-foot-5 right-handed first baseman whose
value is tied almost entirely to his bat. So far, it looks like it will play,
as he's shown the ability to get to his pop right out of the gate. It’s mostly
been to his pull side, but given that Virginia’s home park hasn’t always been
conducive to power, it was an impressive debut. While he draws walks and makes
a good amount of contact given his power potential, he does have a tendency to
chase, especially softer stuff.
Almost exclusively a first baseman as a freshman, Ford did
start seeing some time in right field in this fall, which could make him a more
interesting prospect if that works. He’s a below-average runner with a fringy
arm, so he might be limited to that infield corner, but wherever he lands
defensively, it’s his run-producing bat that will get him drafted early and
continue the assembly line of hitters to come out of the Cavaliers' program.
2-10-25
FLO Baseball - 2025 MLB Mock Draft 1.0-
https://www.flobaseball.tv/articles/13555752-2025-mlb-mock-draft-10-nats-stunner-with-the-no-1-pick
No. 39: Los Angeles Dodgers: Henry Ford, 1B, Virginia
Baseball
Ford, 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, hit .336/.409/.597 with 17 home
runs and 31 total extra base hits in 2024. Don’t be surprised if he’s not here
for this pick.
1-22-25 –
Just Baseball: 2025 MLB Draft – Top 80 College Prospects
https://www.justbaseball.com/college/mlb-draft-top-college-prospects/?s=03
15. Henry Ford – OF
HT/WT: 6’5/220 | Bat/Throw: R/R | School: Virginia | Age:
20.11
A draft-eligible sophomore, Ford is built much like an
automobile mechanic. He’s extremely physical with plenty of strength throughout
his frame and he’s a solid athlete despite his size.
While his swing is a bit stiff, Ford has quality barrel
control and a ton of bat speed and loft, allowing him to tap into legitimate
plus power in-game.
Ford does a great job of handling velocity, especially
against 95+ MPH, though his overall swing decisions and spin recognition need
work. Ford loves to swing the bat and will be aggressive with his approach,
expanding the zone often, especially against breaking balls.
His front foot and leg lift may give him some fits on
adjustability, too, though time will tell on that front. It’ll be interesting
to see what changes Ford can make to fend off some strikeouts in 2025.
Defensively, Ford has been subjected to first base on campus
due to Virginia’s offensive depth, though it’s been confirmed that he will be
tasked with handling right field for the Cavaliers in the spring. Shedding the
first base label will help take pressure off the bat and improve his draft
stock.
1-16-25 –
2025 MLB Draft Prospect Henry Ford Moving To Outfield In 2025
One of the top draft-eligible sophomores in this year’s
class, Virginia slugger Henry Ford, is making a position change longtime
Cavaliers head coach Brian O’Connor described as “his future in the sport.”
After playing first base as a freshman in 2024, Ford is
expected to primarily move to right field for the 2025 season, a change that
could prove quite beneficial to his draft stock, as it would demonstrate
increased versatility and show off his athleticism.
O’Connor said he proposed a move to the outfield following
the conclusion of the 2024 season, which saw Ford hit .336/.409/.597 with 31
extra-base hits, including 17 home runs, and 69 RBI in 61 games.
1-16-25 –
On The Clock | College Baseball and MLB Draft Pod @OnTheClock_1
1B/OF Henry Ford
College: UVA Baseball
Virginia’s Henry Ford looks to pick up where he left off
after slashing .335/.409/.597 with 17 HRs and 69 RBI in his freshman year. He
quickly has risen to become one of the top college prospects for the 2025 MLB
Draft.
1-8-25 –
2025 MLB Draft: Preseason Top 75 Collegiate Prospects —
Prospects Live
8. 1B/OF Henry Ford, Virginia
Height: 6’5
Weight: 220
b/t: R/R
draft day age: 20 YR 11 MO
hometown: Charlottesville, VA
A draft-eligible sophomore, Ford is built much like an
automobile mechanic. He's extremely physical with plenty of strength throughout
his frame and he's a solid athlete despite his size. Ford has quality barrel
control and a ton of bat speed and loft, allowing him to tap into legitimate
plus power in-game. Ford does a great job of handling velocity, especially
against 95+ MPH, though his overall swing decisions and spin recognition need
work. Ford loves to swing the bat and will be aggressive with his approach,
expanding the zone often, especially against breaking balls. His front foot and
leg lift may give him some fits on adjustability, too. It'll be interesting to
see what changes Ford can make to fend off some strikeouts in 2025.
Defensively, Ford has been subjected to first base on campus due to Virginia's
offensive depth, though it's been confirmed that he will be tasked with
handling right field for the Cavaliers in the spring. Shedding the first base
label will help take pressure off the bat and improve his draft stock.
Top 50 college baseball prospects for 2025 MLB draft, per
D1Baseball
17 Henry Ford OF
Virginia
12-10-24 - FSS PLUS:
2025 MLB Mock Draft: So it begins…
https://futurestarsseries.com/2025-mlb-mock-draft/
18. Arizona Diamondbacks
Henry Ford, OF — Virginia
HOMETOWN: Charlottesville, Virginia
HEIGHT: 6-5
WEIGHT: 220
BAT/THROW: R-R
Ford has easy power and uses every bit of his leverage at the
plate. He’s short and direct to the ball with impact bat speed and feel for
lift. The exit velocities support the eye test too. The pure hit tool is
probably more fringy with whiff rates that can creep north against spin. He’s
also an aggressive hitter who has shown a tendency to expand the zone.
Still, Ford’s impact on pitches inside the zone and relative
absence of an enormous hole in his swing points toward a middle-of-the-order
thumper at the next level — especially considering his size and physicality in
the box.
HENRY FORD, OF/1B - virginia
Prospects Live Ranking - #8
Coming off an incredible freshman campaign, Ford will look to
become the centerpiece of Virginia's 2025 offense. Listed at 6'5" and 220 pounds, Ford
showcases impressive bat-to-ball skills with an 87% zone contact rate with
swift hands through the zone. He sees
off-speed very well, hitting .349/.425/.651 with 9 of his 17 total home runs
coming against them. The operation isn't
sexy, but it certainly performs. Ford
has proven his ability to drive the baseball to all parts of the field, but his
power to the pull side is well above-average.
Playing 56 of his 58 games defensively at first base, Henry displays
sufficient defensive skills with good instincts when the ball is put in play,
as he committed only three errors in 2024.
That said, Henry mentioned to our Monty Taylor how he plans to play
right field for the Cavaliers in 2025, making the transition from infield to
outfield an intriguing follow to keep tabs on.
Ultimately, it will come down to Ford's offensive prowess that
determines how high he gets drafted this coming July.
https://virginiasports.com/player/henry-ford/ -
2024
• Hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th to give UVA
a 5-4 win over Wichita State in the opening game of Jax College Classic on Feb.
23
• On April 4 against then-No. 10 North Carolina, Ford mashed
three homers in one game, including a grand slam, game-tying shot and go-ahead
blast in a 14-11 come-from-behind UVA victory. It marked the first three home
run game by a Cavalier since Dan Street in 2002 and only the fifth time in
program history that a player has hit three home runs in a single game.
• Ford is the fourth Cavalier freshman to hit 10 or more home
runs in a season since 2004, joining UVA Baseball Hall of Famers Mark Reynolds
(15 in 2002), Sean Doolittle (11 in 2005) and Steven Proscia (10 in 2009).
• No. 41 on D1Baseball’s Preseason Top-50 First Baseman list,
the only freshman included on the list.
• Named to the 2023-24 ACC Honor Roll.
https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2024/03/representing-charlottesville-henry-ford-is-built-tough -
Some of the best athletes to play for the University are
homegrown talents from Charlottesville. Graduate attackman Connor Shellenberger
of men’s lacrosse and freshman guard Kymora Johnson of women’s basketball
instantly come to mind as leaders of their respective programs. Completing a
trifecta of local legends, enter Henry Ford — who has been playing baseball in
Charlottesville for over a decade.
“Henry Ford is the little league legend around
Charlottesville,” Coach Brian O’Connor said. “He’s kind of like the movie
‘Sandlot.’”
Standing at a towering 6-foot-5 and 220 lbs., Ford fits the
mold of an ultra-strong first baseman. However, his origins are diverse. His
father, Ryan Ford, was a standout pitcher for William and Mary and his uncle,
Kevin Ford, played four years for Virginia at third base. Coming out of high
school, Henry Ford was listed as a shortstop — ranked as fourth-best in the
Commonwealth by Perfect Game. Regardless of positional fits though, Virginia
was always the dream destination for Ford — he has been committed to the
Cavaliers since the eighth grade.
9/22/24
2025 Draft Prospect - 1B - Henry Ford - Virginia
link -
1B Henry Ford - University of Virginia
Henry Ford was by far the most fun bat I saw last year. All
the kid does is hit and hit the ball hard. In a stacked Virginia lineup, he was
arguably the best bat as a freshman. He’s a towering presence in the box with
his 6’5, 220lb frame. It’s a tall, muscular build with broad shoulders. Even
more, he’s super athletic for his size. What stuck out to me most at the plate
was how patient he was. He doesn’t let that patience make him overmatched, and
he doesn’t strikeout a ton. There is excellent barrel control as he gets
barrel-to-ball with ease. It’s a very mature and polished approach at the
plate. He played at first base for the Cavaliers since they were stacked, but
he is athletic enough that a move to third base could be in his future. He has
a powerful arm that would play well over there. He could find himself flying up
even higher on draft boards with another strong spring.
2021 Jr. National Showcase
Henry Ford is a 2023 3B/SS with a 6-3 200 lb. frame from
Charlottesville, VA who attends Baylor. Large, athletic frame with broad
shoulders and present physical strength proportioned throughout. Primary third
baseman, waits back on the ball some, fields out front and picks the backhand
cleanly as well, longer strides moving up the middle, coordination to actions
and shows ability to drop slot when needed, good carry and arm strength across
the diamond.
Right-handed hitter, begins with a high hand set and back
elbow at the plate, utilizes a short stride moving forward into contact. Loads
hands back at start of swing, longer path through the zone once underway but
shows jump off of the barrel with present bat speed. Occasionally gets uphill
with path, shows carry coming off when squared and on time. Excellent student.
2 comments:
They call him Ford, but he identifies as a Maserati. Sign him!
And he could be there at 1.38
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