Harry Ford

Ford is about as good of a dynasty prospect as a catcher can be with zero experience above Single-A. He does not chase. He's a plus runner. He will stick at catcher. He seems on track to develop at least above-average game power. There's basically nothing to nitpick other than his ETA. Now that the Mariners are ready to contend, they will probably push Ford as quickly up the ladder as is reasonable. Even so, most catchers don't reach Double-A in their age-20 seasons. For instance, Henry Davis and Austin Wells are considered good catching prospects and it's possible both of them will open their age-23 seasons back at Double-A. An aggressively optimistic timeline probably has Ford reaching the majors at the end of the 2024 season and then opening 2025 as the starting catcher. That's a long time to wait on a catching prospect, but the upside is the No. 1 fantasy catcher - one who legitimately helps in all five categories along the lines of peak J.T. Realmuto.

The last time a catching prospect had a realistic chance to steal double-digit bases in the majors, it was Daulton Varsho, and he is now a top-five fantasy pick at the position, in large part because of that speed. Ford is a much better athlete than Varsho ever was, and he has even more stolen-base upside, but he is also at least three years away from the majors. The Mariners took him with the 12th overall pick last year and he excelled in a small sample in the Arizona Complex League, slashing .291/.400/.582 with three home runs, three steals, a 13.8 BB% and a 21.5 K% in 19 games. His 150 wRC+ was better than league mates Hedbert Perez, James Triantos and Reginald Preciado. The early returns suggest Ford could be a five-category fantasy contributor, but the more pressing question is where he ends up defensively. Ford is not a great defensive catcher, but he has the physical tools to play anywhere from third base to center field if he moves out from behind the plate. The dream would be for him to play enough catcher to retain eligibility while getting the bulk of his playing time at another position. However, the longer Seattle keeps him at catcher, the slower he will climb through the minors.