Jon Lewis Ford (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and current

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

for the

Long Island Ducks The Long Island Ducks are an American professional minor league baseball team based on Long Island in Central Islip, New York. The Ducks compete in the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), an independent "par ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are l ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Hanshin Tigers The are a Nippon Professional Baseball team playing in the Central League. The team is based in Nishinomiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, next to their main stadium, Hanshin Koshien Stadium. The Tigers are owned by Hanshin Electric Railway Co., ...

Career

Ford is a 1994 graduate of

Port Neches–Groves High School Port Neches–Groves High School (PNG) is a public high school located in Port Neches, Texas. It is a part of the Port Neches-Groves Independent School District, and is classified as a 5A school by the UIL, serving portions of Port Neches, Gr ...

where he played football and baseball and is also a 1999 graduate of

Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU) is a private Baptist university in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1898 as Decatur Baptist College, Dallas Baptist University currently operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Hurst. It is affiliated with the Baptist ...

. He also played college baseball at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

, Seminole State Junior College, and

Lee College Lee College is a public community college in Baytown, Texas. Lee College's main campus occupies near downtown Baytown and extension campuses throughout its service area. The school has an enrollment of over 7,773 total students as of Fall 2018 ...

Boston Red Sox

In 1998, Ford was a first team All-American at Dallas Baptist. He set their single school batting record, batting .507 over the course of more than 50 games. In spite of this, Ford was not chosen in the MLB draft. He came back the following year and had another season at Dallas Baptist, after which he was drafted by the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

in the 12th round of the 1999 amateur draft. In 2000, he played his first full year of Single-A ball for the

Augusta Greenjackets The Augusta GreenJackets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at SRP Park in North Augusta, South Carolina. History Augusta was a member of the S ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

. He had a good season, stealing 52 bases on 56 attempts and established the team single-season batting record by hitting .315, adding 74 RBI from the leadoff spot.

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' (BA) is a sports publication company that covers baseball at every level, including Major League Baseball (MLB), with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) college, high school, and inte ...

named him as the best defensive outfielder in Class-A and

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

identified him as the Best 5-Tool Prospect in the Red Sox organization. He led all of minor league baseball in runs scored with 122.

Minnesota Twins

On September 9, 2000, Ford was traded to the

for

Héctor Carrasco Héctor Pacheco Carrasco (born October 22, 1969) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He bats and throws right handed. In a twelve-season career, Carrasco has posted a 44–50 record with 19 saves and a 3.99 ERA in 637 ...

. He also led all of Minor League Baseball in runs scored in 2002. He is known for an episode of accidentally burning himself with a hotel iron, which is often erroneously told as a result of the attempted ironing of a shirt while wearing it. In 2004, he had 170 hits in 154 games with 15 home runs, 20 stolen bases and 31 doubles while batting .299. He finished tied for 24th in the American League's Most Valuable Player balloting, garnering a total 2 points out of a possible 392. Ford was named AL Player of the Week for the week ending August 21, 2005. He helped the Twins take three out of four games from the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

after hitting 12-for-33, including 3 home runs, and leading the league in RBI's and runs for that week. Ford was out-righted to the minor leagues on October 5, 2007, but refused the assignment and became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

Hanshin Tigers

Ford Signed with the

in Japan's

on November 29, 2007.

Colorado Rockies

In March 2009, Ford signed a minor league contract with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

, but did not play the season there.

Long Island Ducks/Cincinnati Reds

On August 24, 2009, Ford signed a minor league contract with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Ford was a member of the

when he posted 10 home runs, 2 triples, and 55 RBI's in 93 games. The Texas native finished second in the league in batting average (.330) and fourth in on-base percentage (.407). His efforts earned him a contract with the Cincinnati Reds organization.

Guerreros de Oaxaca

Played in (2010) with the

Guerreros de Oaxaca The Guerreros de Oaxaca (English: Oaxaca Warriors) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico. Their home field is Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos. History In October 1995, a group of businessmen, ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

Second stint with Long Island Ducks

On March 7, 2011, Ford signed with the

of the

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Atlantic League The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, and the headquarters are loc ...

Baltimore Orioles

On May 19, 2012, Ford signed with the

who later that same day sent him down to the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

of Triple-A. On July 29, 2012, Ford appeared in an MLB lineup for the first time since 2007. He batted fifth and played left field for the Orioles. Ford hit home runs for the Orioles in consecutive games against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

on August 27–28, 2012. He finished the year hitting .183/.256/.352 with 3 HR's and 4 RBI's in 25 games. On November 2, Ford was out-righted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency four days later. On November 9, Ford signed a minor league contract with the Orioles and was invited to the Oriole's spring training.

Long Island Ducks (third stint)

On August 26, 2013, Ford was released from the

Bowie Baysox The Chesapeake Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. From 1993 to 2024, th ...

, the Orioles' Double-A affiliate. He finished the 2013 season playing for the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. Ford stated the 2014 season playing for the Ducks as a starting outfielder. On October 29, 2014, Ford was named the 2014 Atlantic League Player of the Year. Ford's 2014 season was highlighted by breaking two Atlantic League records. He finished the year with 189 hits, surpassing the previous high of 170 set by Victor Rodriguez (

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

) in 2004. In addition, Ford became the first player in league history to play in all 140 games during the regular season. Navarrete and Wayne Lydon (Camden) had previously held the record of 139, which was set in 2009. The 38-year old led the Atlantic League in doubles (40) during the 2014 campaign and finished second in batting average (.347), runs batted in (95), runs scored (100), total bases (278), and on-base percentage (.415). Ford earned Atlantic League Player of the Month honors in May after compiling a .402 batting average with 47 hits and a .470 on-base percentage. Two months later, he was selected to play in the Atlantic League All-Star Game at

Constellation Field Constellation Field is a baseball park located in Sugar Land, Texas. It is the home of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys of the Pacific Coast League, who began play in 2012 as the Sugar Land Skeeters. The park also has the ability to host rugby unio ...

Sugar Land, Texas Sugar Land (sometimes incorrectly spelled as Sugarland) is the largest city in Fort Bend County, Texas, United States, located in the southwestern part of the metropolitan area. Located about southwest of downtown Houston, Sugar Land is a po ...

. The former big leaguer's defense was also outstanding, as he did not commit a single error in 97 games played in the outfield. He became a free agent after the 2016 season. On May 28, 2017, Ford re-signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League for the 2017 season. On February 6, 2018, Ford re-signed with the Long Island Ducks for the 2018 season. On January 15, 2019, Ford re-signed with the Ducks for his 10th season with the club, and his sixth as a

player-coach A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

. On January 30, 2020, Ford re-signed with the Ducks for what would've been his 11th season, and seventh as a player-coach. However, Ford did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 ALPB season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. He became a free agent after the season. On March 4, 2021, Ford re-signed with the Ducks for his 11th season with the club and seventh as a player-coach. On October 2, Ford collected his 964 career hit for the Ducks, becoming the Ducks' all-time hit leader. On January 12, 2022, Ford re-signed with the Ducks for his 12th season with the team, and eighth as a player-coach. On August 28, Ford recorded his 1,000th ALPB hit in a game against the

Charleston Dirty Birds The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

. In doing so, he became the fourth player in Atlantic League history to achieve the feat, joining Bryant Nelson, Jeff Nettles, and Ray Navarrete. On January 31, 2023, Ford re-signed with the Ducks for his 13th season with the club, and ninth season as a player-coach. In 35 games, he batted .340/.389/.460 with one home run and 14 RBI.

Coaching career

After spending the past nine seasons as a player coach, on November 15, 2023, Ford was named the manager for the

of the

References

External links

NPB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Lew 1976 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Augusta GreenJackets players Baseball coaches from Texas Baseball players from Beaumont, Texas Baltimore Orioles players Bowie Baysox players Caribes de Anzoátegui players Dallas Baptist Patriots baseball players Edmonton Trappers players Fort Myers Miracle players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Gulf Coast Orioles players Hanshin Tigers players Long Island Ducks coaches Long Island Ducks players Louisville Bats players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball designated hitters Major League Baseball outfielders Mexican League baseball center fielders Mexican League baseball left fielders Minnesota Twins players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela New Britain Rock Cats players Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Norfolk Tides players Rochester Red Wings players Texas A&M Aggies baseball players Toros de Tijuana players 21st-century American sportsmen Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic