Lew Ford

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #16 prospect in 2004
  An unheralded prospect for much of his career, Ford busted into the Twins' big league plans last year after a hot start in Rochester. He has the tools to be a starting center fielder elsewhere, but isn't likely to crack the Minnesota. The Twins do value his versatility, though, and he gave them the confidence to trade Bobby Kielty and Dustan Mohr last year. Ford just needs to stay healthy now. He hit .357 in his first 16 major league games before breaking his right forearm and missing seven weeks. When he tried to make up for lost time in the Venezuelan winter league, he dislocated a thumb after just four games. Ford has a quick bat and can drive the ball into the alleys or out of the yard with surprising juice. He homered four times in one game in 2001 and won the home run derby at the Double-A all-star game in 2002. Ford has an ideal leadoff man's mentality and is geared to get on base and score runs. Ford is an above-average runner with good basestealing instincts. His plus range and average arm enable him to play all three outfield sports. He should be fully recovered by spring training, where he's supposed to nail down a big league job as a fourth outfielder. Ford would be a capable fill-in if any of the regulars were to get injured.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #9 prospect in 2003
  Originally drafted by the Red Sox, Ford had teamed with Boston prospect Freddy Sanchez to take Dallas Baptist to the NAIA World Series in 1999. The Red Sox dealt Ford to the Twins for journeyman reliever Hector Carrasco in September 2000. Ford led the minors in runs in 2002. Ford put his name on the map by homering four times in a 2001 game, and again showed his sneaky power by winning the home run derby at the 2002 Double-A all-star game. He's a plus runner with the instincts to work the count and draw walks. He has an average arm and shows fine range in center field. While he won't develop into a perennial all-star, Ford doesn't show many flaws in his game. His biggest obstacle is Minnesota's depth of quality outfielders. Ford capped the 2002 season with the MVP award in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League playoffs, and he was placed on the 40-man roster in November. After hitting well in the Venezuelan League (.302-5-15), he could crack the Opening Day roster as an extra outfielder.
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  Ranked Minnesota Twins #24 prospect in 2001
  Ford, who was caught just four times in 56 stolen-base attempts in 2000, immediately became one of the fastest players in the system after joining the Twins last fall. He led the minors with 122 runs and dominated South Atlantic League in his first full pro season, though he should have done so as one of the circuit's older players. He needs to be pushed to Double-A in 2001 to get a true reading on his abilities, though he's a center fielder who appears fairly solid across the board, with the exception of power. Ford is a late bloomer who didn't even plan on playing college baseball, instead choosing to attend Texas A&M to study computer engineering. He stayed there two years before trying out for the team, where he got stuck behind eventual major leaguers Chad Allen and Jason Tyner. Ford wound up playing for four different colleges over the next three years before joining the Red Sox.