Lambert Ford

Lambert Nathaniel Ford

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 170 lb.
• High School Vineland High School
• Born March 3, 1949 in Vineland, NJ USA
• Died February 26, 2022 in Grosseto, Italy

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Lambert Ford played in the affiliated minor leagues from 1968 to 1973 and the Mexican League from 1974 to 1978, 1980 to 1981 and in 1983. Largely devoid of power, he hit triples nearly as frequently as doubles.

He was originally taken by the Cleveland Indians 5th overall in the January 1968 amateur draft, a few picks after outfielder George Hendrick, one pick after outfielder Glenn Adams and ahead of outfielder Mickey Rivers, but opted not to sign. He was then taken by the Houston Astros in the secondary phase of the June draft that same year (a few picks after hurler Rich Hand), and inked a contract. He remained in the Astros' system through 1971.

His first year, with the Covington Astros, he hit .279/.441/414 scoring as many runs, 29, as he had hits. He had 30 walks to just 22 strikeouts and finished third in the Appalachian League in on-base percentage, behind Rich Chiles and Kenneth Johnson. The next season, he hit .292/.396/.399 with 15 stolen bases, 43 walks and just 36 whiffs in 64 games for the Williamsport Astros. He tied Paul Baretta for third in the New York-Penn League in steals, behind Wilbur Howard and Leroy Gardner. 1970 was a breakout campaign, as he hit .368/.472/.536 with 88 hits and 12 stolen bases in 67 games for Williamsport; he led the league in on-base percentage, batting average (though Angel Muniz hit .389, he had just 168 plate appearances and though John Sinclair also hit .368, he didn't have enough PAs to qualify for the title) and total bases (128), tied Emmett Miller for the league lead in hits, tied Jimmy Smith for second in walks (49, behind John Knox's 54) and finished just 0.002 points behind Pedro Garcia in OPS with a 1.008 mark.

He slipped to .278/.343/.394 in 81 games for the Columbus Astros in 1971 in his first taste at Double-A, where he would remain through 1973. The Asheville Tourists of the Chicago White Sox system took him in the Double-A round of the 1971 Rule V Draft. He didn't play for them, rather the Knoxville Sox, in 1972 (and 1973), hitting .247/.333/.352 in 142 at-bats. In 1973, he batted .237/.353/.338 with 8 three-baggers and 6 two-baggers in 111 games; he also stole 15 bases and again had more walks (58) than strikeouts (54).

Ford joined the Mexican League in 1974 and spent the rest of his career there. In his first campaign, he hit .321/.430/.425 with 17 steals, 10 triples and, per his ledger, just 17 runs scored in 122 games for the Charros de Jalisco. He tied Miguel Suarez and Raul Montoya for second in the league in triples, one behind Mario Salazar. His walks also outpaced his strikeouts again, 74 to 53. With the Bravos de Reynosa in 1975, Ford hit .301/.410/.411 with a single stolen base (caught 7 times), 10 triples and just 7 doubles in 93 games; he also had 55 walks to just 39 Ks. Back with the Bravos in 1976, he hit .331/.413/.427 with 11 doubles, 17 triples, 10 steals (11 caught stealing), 69 walks and 43 strikeouts in 133 games. He led the league in triples and was a league All-Star. In 1977, he had his final season of consequence, hitting .303/.394/.388 with 10 stolen bases (13 CS), 68 walks and 36 strikeouts in 134 games for the Plataneros de Tabasco. He played sparingly the rest of the way, just 7 games in 1978, no games in 1979, 22 games in 1980, an unknown amount in 1981, no games in 1982 and 44 games in 1983.

He later played and managed in Serie A1 in Italy, heading Grosseto in 1997.

His older brother, Ted Ford and his grandnephew, Darren Ford, played in the major leagues.