Ted Ford
Theodore Henry Ford
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 5' 10", Weight 180 lb.
- High School Richland (NJ) High School
- Debut April 7, 1970
- Final Game September 29, 1973
- Born February 7, 1947 in Vineland, NJ USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Ted Ford was drafted by the Cleveland Indians 11th overall in the January 1966 amateur draft. He began his professional career with the Dubuque Packers. In 71 games with them in 1966, he hit .263 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 262 at-bats. The following year - 1967 - he played for the Pawtucket Indians. He hit only .210 in 443 at-bats with them.
He missed the 1968 and 1969 minor league seasons due to serving in the military during the Vietnam War, including a tour of duty in the war zone.
In 1970, he mostly played for the Wichita Aeros, hitting .326 with 12 home runs and 57 RBI in 383 at-bats with them. However, he started the season with the big league club - on April 7, 1970, he made his major league debut with the Indians. Facing star pitcher Dave McNally of the Baltimore Orioles, he went 0 for 2 with a walk in his first game. He spent time in both the majors and minors in 1971 as well. In the majors, he hit .194 in 196 at-bats. In the minors - playing for the Aeros again - he hit .330 in 176 at-bats.
On April 3, 1972, Ford was traded to the Texas Rangers for Roy Foster and Tommy McCraw. He played in 129 games with the Rangers that year, hitting 14 home runs and driving 50 runs in in 429 at-bats. His batting average was .235. Ford spent nine games with the Denver Bears that year as well, hitting .222 in 36 at-bats.
Ford was traded back to the Indians on May 10, 1973 with Dick Bosman for Steve Dunning. He appeared in only 11 big league games that season, hitting .225 in 40 at-bats. He played his final game on September 29th.
Although his major league career was over after 1973, he was still involved in notable trades after that. On April 24, 1974, for example, he was traded back to the Rangers for Charlie Hudson.
Overall, Ford hit .219 in 240 major league games. In 711 at-bats, he hit 17 home runs and drove 68 runs in. According to the Similarity Scores method, he is most similar statistically to Jim Nettles, a contemporary outfielder who is most famous as the brother of Graig Nettles.
He is the grandfather of Darren Ford, who made his major league debut in 2010. His younger brother, Lambert Ford, spent nearly 15 years in the minor leagues.
Further Reading[edit]
- Chris Holaday: "Ted Ford", in Steve West and Bill Nowlin, eds.: The Team That Couldn't Hit: The 1972 Texas Rangers, SABR, Phoenix, AZ, 2019, pp. 63-66. ISBN 978-1-943816-93-4
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