Ted Ford

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Ted Ford

|image=Ted Ford Rangers.jpg

|position=Outfielder

|bats=Right

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1947|2|7}}

|birth_place=Vineland, New Jersey, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate=April 7

|debutyear=1970

|debutteam=Cleveland Indians

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 29

|finalyear=1973

|finalteam=Cleveland Indians

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.219

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=17

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=68

|teams=

Cleveland Indians ({{mlby|1970}}–{{mlby|1971}}, {{mlby|1973}})
Texas Rangers ({{mlby|1972}})

|highlights=

}}

Theodore Henry Ford (born February 7, 1947) is an American former right-handed Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers from 1970 to 1973. He is the grandfather of Darren Ford, who debuted with the San Francisco Giants in 2010.

Career

Drafted by the Indians 11th overall in the 1966 amateur draft, Ford began his professional career with the Dubuque Packers. In 71 games with them in {{Baseball year|1966}}, he hit .263 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 262 at-bats.

The following year, {{Baseball year|1967}}, he played for the Pawtucket Indians. He hit only .210 in 443 at-bats with them.

He missed the entire 1968 and 1969 seasons due to military service.{{cite web|author=Chris Holaday |url=https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ted-ford/ |title=Ted Ford |publisher=sabr.org |date= |accessdate=January 31, 2021}}

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, he made his major league debut with the Indians. Facing star pitcher Dave McNally of the Baltimore Orioles, he went 0–2 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.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OPwmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xmADAAAAIBAJ&pg=5835,3589980&dq=ted-ford+baseball&hl=en|title=Indians, Rangers swap outfielders|date=4 April 1972|work=St. Petersburg Times|publisher=AP|page=2C|accessdate=28 July 2010}} 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 returned to the Indians along with Dick Bosman from the Rangers for Steve Dunning on May 10, 1973.[https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/11/archives/bosman-sent-to-indians-by-rangers-for-dunning.html "Bosman Sent to Indians By Rangers for Dunning," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, May 10, 1973.] Retrieved January 21, 2023. He appeared in only 11 big league games that season, hitting .225 in 40 at-bats. He played his final game on September 29.

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 in 68 runs.