The Washington Nationals have been an interesting team to follow in spring training so far. Despite the majority of their regular players batting below .200 currently, the pitching staff has been pretty lights out, actually having the best staff ERA in the majors so far.
But as camp continues onward, tough decisions have to be made as the front office and coaching staff begin to make decisions about who will be part of the Opening Day roster. A lot of guys have already been cut from big league camp, but one player in particular had his fate decided yesterday that might have come as a surprise to many.
That player was catcher Harry Ford, who was optioned to AAA Rochester after losing out on the catching battle to Keibert Ruiz and Drew Millas, who will be the starters to begin this year. You might remember Ford coming over to Washington in a trade for Jose A. Ferrer from the Seattle Mariners earlier this offseason, and he is expected to be a big part of the team's future.
Despite Ford being optioned, his stance as the team's preferred and potentially even likely long-term catcher is unchanged. However, the reality of the situation is that this was probably always going to happen, and it has nothing to do with Ford.
Due to Keibert Ruiz' contract, he was likely always going to get the first crack at the job, and with him actually looking like he has improved his approach and defense during spring training, it is probably worth it to at least see if the Nationals can still get anything out of him before calling it a completely sunk cost.
Sending him to the minors allows him to play on a daily basis, whereas if he started the year in the majors he likely would still be in a timeshare. Ford's upside is great, but once he shows a bit more promise defensively to accompany his bat, he will end up making his way to Washiington.
There should be zero doubt that he will make the majors this season, however, it might end up being the best thing for everyone, as by later on this season the Nationals should know what they have in Ruiz fully, and Ford will have improved enough that the club feels good enough to hand him the reigns fully.
What did you think of the Nationals' decision to demote Harry Ford to AAA to begin the season? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.