Ford was selected by the Mariners with the 11th overall pick in the Rule 5 draft Thursday.
Rule 5 picks rarely end up contributing in fantasy, but Ford might have the best chance of this year's class. He is a 25-year-old first baseman who has never played in the majors, but his numbers last year were awfully impressive. Ford had a .270/.404/.471 slash line with 20 home runs and a 72:94 K:BB in 126 games between Double-A and Triple-A. Entering the season, Ryon Healy and Daniel Vogelbach are ahead of Ford on the organizational depth chart, but they are not imposing figures, relative to the rest of the league's first basemen. Ford will need to be kept on the active roster all season, otherwise he will be exposed to waivers and offered back to the Yankees.