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Near-forgotten former Yankees slugger reappears in exec position with rival Rays

Nice to see him. But dang.
ByAdam Weinrib|
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May 22, 2021; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Mike Ford (36) is congratulated by New York Yankees designated hitter Luke Voit (59) after hitting a solo home run singles against the Chicago White Sox during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-Imagn Images
May 22, 2021; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Mike Ford (36) is congratulated by New York Yankees designated hitter Luke Voit (59) after hitting a solo home run singles against the Chicago White Sox during the sixth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-Imagn Images | Andy Marlin-Imagn Images

The 2020 Yankees may feel like a fever dream to many of us, six years (!!!) later, but Gerrit Cole's first campaign in pinstripes (!!!!!) gave us plenty of unsung heroes, although many of them burned brightly before fading away. Mike Ford, who destroyed 12 home runs with a 137 OPS+ in 50 games in 2019, found himself associated with that 2020 club in tough fashion, as his pinch-hitting appearance late in Game 5 of the ALDS (amid severe struggles) was a bit of a jump scare.

Before he left New York in 2021, his personal hitting coach took some pretty harsh shots at the organization, feeling that his star pupil had been cheated by being shuttled back and forth. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he's now landed in the front office of a Yankees division foe: the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to Kristie Ackert, formerly of the New York Daily News, Ford is flitting around Tampa ahead of the Yankees' clash with the Rays this weekend, and has taken an executive role in shaping their minor league system. Famously, the Rays' farm system has never had a real development issue to tackle, but it never hurts to have a Princeton-educated former player in place to help maintain the standard.

Former Yankees slugger Mike Ford's MLB career is over after significant bouncing

After Ford's Yankees career ended in 2021, he bounced from the Giants to the Mariners to the Braves to the Angels back in 2022. He was a big-league Mariner again in 2023, followed by a career-wrapping stint with the Reds in 2024 and a couple attempts to find stability in Japan. His 16 homers with the 2023 M's shocked him back into the spotlight, but he followed that up with an 11 OPS+ in a 17-game sample in Cincinnati, and that was that.

Ford's apparent transition into a different segment of the workforce is, unfortunately, another reminder of exactly how long ago that gleeful 2019 season really was. DJ LeMahieu in his prime? Now, he's in purgatory. Cameron Maybin as a bench hero? He's a broadcaster mired in controversy. Mike Tauchman? Don't remind us; it's not going well.

Unfortunately, if Ford's successful at the next step of his journey, it'll come directly at the Yankees' expense.

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