Tom
Ford

Verbally committed to Iowa Western.

RHP Tom Ford (Lisle, 2024) is a long levered arm who’s body screams upside. His 6-foot-6, 185-pound frame brings an 89-91 mph fastball with presence in the strike zone. He showed an 11/5 curveball as well with similar feel and repeated a low and away location at 74-76 mph.

Positional Profile: RHP/1B
Body: 6-6, 185-pounds. Tall, lanky build, high-waisted.
Delivery: Stretch-only delivery, toe lift into balance, slight collapse on back side works into glove side.
Arm Action: RH. Long, loose, clean arm, 3/4 slot.
FB: T91, 89-91 mph. Controlled the zone with back spinning fastball, flashed ride. T2335, 2298 average rpm.
CB: 74-76 mph. 11/5 shape, above average spin for age, showed feel. T2369, 2222 average rpm.
CH: 84-86 mph. Firm grip, plays straight and firm. T2149, 2012 average rpm.

The biggest winner on the mound from last Tuesday’s event was RHP Tom Ford (Lisle, 2024). Standing at a lanky 6-foot-6, 185-pounds, Ford has plenty of room to fill out his high-waisted and projectable frame. His delivery is simple, pitching exclusively out of the stretch with a drop/drive lower-half, remaining in-line to the plate throughout his stride. His arm works loose and quick with a long arm circle out of the glove, transitioning into a high ¾ slot. The tall right-hander worked primarily in the 86-89 mph range, but reached back for 90-91 mph on his last couple bullets while playing with life at the top of the zone. His curveball looked to be his best off-speed offering on this day, playing with sharp 11/5 shape and downward action, also tunneling off his fastballs effectively while locating down under the zone, 68-70 mph. He went to a slider for his third offering, pulling off to his glove-side at times but flashing sharp 10/4 bullet action, 73-76 mph. Having seen Ford up to 88 mph this past winter, his three mph jump is no surprise as he has started to control his body down the mound more consistently. 

Positional Profile: RHP
Body: 6-5, 180-pounds. Long limbs, wiry, projectable build.
Delivery: Stretch only, controlled leg-lift into balance point, drop/drive lower-half, shoulders work level throughout stride, remains in-line to the plate.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm circle out of the glove, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T90.8, 86.5-89.5 mph. Ride through the zone.  T2285, 2162 average rpm.
CB: 68.2-69.7 mph. Sharp 11/5 action, flashed feel down in the zone.  T2118, 2055 average rpm.
SL: 68.9-73.9 mph. Sharp 10/4, pulled to the glove side at times.  T2066, 2019 average rpm.

Positional Profile: RHP/1B
Body: 6-5, 190-pounds. Long, lanky build. Projectable.
Delivery: Pitched exclusively from the stretch, slow paced leg lift. Up-tempo delivery from balance point, slight drop and drive lower half while remaining in line.
Arm Action: RH. Long arm swing. Loose arm action, high 3/4 slot.
FB: T87.1, 83.5-86.1 mph. Straight four seam fastball. T2471, 2337 average rpm.
SL: 72.7-75.5 mph. Hard slider, 10/4 shape, darting late lateral action. T2274, 2236 average rpm.
CH: 77.2-78.4 mph. Straight change, occasional arm side fade. T2180, 2068 average rpm.