Undrafted but Undeterred
1,216 players were selected in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft last June. Princeton University's Mike Ford, the first person to ever win Ivy League Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year honors, was not one of those draft picks.
Fortunately, Ford did not have a long wait before he had the chance to start his professional baseball career. The non-drafted free agent was signed in July by the New York Yankees, the same team that Ford has been cheering for throughout his life.
"I have always been a fan of the Yankees," Ford said in a recent interview with RiverDogs broadcaster Sean Houston. "It's kind of the perfect story when it happened, and I couldn't ask for anything better."
A native of Belle Mead, New Jersey, Ford attended the Hun School of Princeton before enrolling in Princeton University to continue his baseball career. When he joined the Tigers, he switched from third base to first base to maximize his potential as a two-way player.
"I played third all of high school and then I went to first because I pitched in college as well, just to save my arm a little bit," Ford said.
Ford made the most of this utilization and he would start his 2013 baseball odyssey with a remarkable junior year for the Tigers. He led all Ivy League pitchers with a 0.98 earned run average and topped the conference at the plate with 31 walks to go along with a 6-0 record and a .320 batting average. The Ivy League named Ford its 2013 Player and Pitcher of the Year, a feat which had never been accomplished by the same person in a career, let alone in a single season.
After going undrafted, Ford played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. Ford was only in the league for a month and was leading CCBL in hitting, slugging, on-base percentage, and home runs when he signed with the Yankees. He also received offers from the Houston Astros, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays.
"It was a stressful process, but it was also a really good process," Ford said. "It came down to, how can you pass the Yankees up? It's the best franchise in sports."
Growing up in New Jersey as a Yankees fan was just one local factor in Ford's evaluation. Ford also realized that he would start with the Staten Island Yankees, New York's short-season Single-A affiliate, which is within easy driving distance for his family and friends.
Ford finished his 2013 baseball journey with 33 games played for Staten Island, playing as a corner infielder and a designated hitter. Now a member of the RiverDogs, Ford has continued his professional career with a strong start to the 2014 season. Ford had a team-best seven hits in four starts at first base while helping Charleston to a road split against the Augusta GreenJackets.
"I try to utilize the whole field, but my big philosophy is, you have to hit the ball where it's pitched," Ford said. "They might try to bust me in - that's what they've kind of been doing so far this season - so I've been pulling the ball a little bit."
While Ford's solid start is impressive, he still has another big series later this month that he is already excited about. The RiverDogs will travel to Lakewood Township, New Jersey for a series against the Lakewood BlueClaws on April 21st through the 23rd. Naturally, Ford is expecting a big turnout.
"School's still in session, so I think a bunch of my friends from Princeton will be coming," Ford said. "I know a lot of family will be coming, so it'll be really nice. A long trip, it will be a little colder, but it's definitely worth it."