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The Nationals’ most notable participant in this year’s World Baseball Classic might just be one of the stars of one of the tournament’s biggest underdogs.
Harry Ford has officially been named to Great Britain’s roster for this spring’s international event, the second time the young catcher will represent the birthplace of his parents, the first time he’ll do so as member of the Nats organization and as a big leaguer.
Ford was born and raised outside Atlanta, but both of his parents were born in England, giving him dual citizenship. He has spent a good portion of this offseason with his father, who has returned to live in his home country.
The Brits made their WBC debut three years ago and became one of the tournament’s darlings after scoring an upset victory over Colombia before ultimately losing in group play to the United States and Mexico. And Ford, only 20 at the time and with no experience higher than the Mariners’ Single-A affiliate, was one of the breakout stars of the team, batting .308 with two homers, a double, four RBIs and a 1.246 OPS in four games.
He emerged from the experience with an even stronger desire to return and try to lift his adopted home country to new heights the next time around.
“It was great,” he said last month. “It was really cool getting to be with the first Great Britain team to make the WBC and win a game. I am planning on it, so lord willing I get to play again this year. It’s definitely a really cool experience.”
Traded in December from Seattle with reliever Isaac Lyon for left-hander Jose A. Ferrer, Ford has become the Nationals’ second-rated prospect behind recent No. 1 draft pick Eli Willits and the 42nd overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. He’s expected to compete with Keibert Ruiz for the Opening Day catcher’s job and could surpass his counterpart as the organization’s top long-term option behind the plate with a strong performance.
Ideally, Ford would be around through the entirety of spring training, giving him as much opportunity as possible to work with the Nats pitching staff and fully develop rapport with his new team. But MLB clubs aren’t allowed to prevent players from participating in the WBC unless there’s a documented injury concern, and there are no such concerns with Ford.
Great Britain is one of five countries competing in Pool B, along with the U.S., Mexico, Italy and Brazil, with games scheduled to be played March 6-11 in Houston. The top two teams advance to the knockout stage, which begins March 13, also in Houston. With exhibition games beginning March 3 in Arizona, Ford is likely to miss at least 10 days of spring training, at best returning to West Palm Beach for the final week of Grapefruit League play before the Nationals head north.
It’s a sacrifice, but one Ford is willing to make, not only as he attempts to help Great Britain win but as he attempts to help the sport grow in a non-traditional baseball nation.
“One hundred percent, it is a big thing for me,” he said. “We talk about it all the time, how we’re trying to grow the game and give people opportunities to play who don’t get the chance. And that’s a lot of kids here. A lot of kids here that, no matter how much they love baseball, they can’t play or don’t have the means to get better. That’s definitely something I am passionate about.”
No other Nationals players have officially been named to any WBC rosters yet. Given how young the team is, not to mention how deep the nationwide talent pool is, it’s unlikely anyone will be representing the U.S. in March. Ruiz, first baseman Andres Chaparro and right-handers Luis Perales and Andry Lara are potential candidates for Venezuela, with infielder Jose Tena and reliever Julian Fernandez the only Dominican-born players on the 40-man roster. First baseman Matt Mervis, recently signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp, played for Israel in 2023.
