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Henry Ford (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
One of the top draft-eligible sophomores in this year’s class, Virginia slugger Henry Ford, is making a position change longtime Cavaliers head coach Brian O’Connor described as “his future in the sport.”
After playing first base as a freshman in 2024, Ford is expected to primarily move to right field for the 2025 season, a change that could prove quite beneficial to his draft stock, as it would demonstrate increased versatility and show off his athleticism.
“Good athlete,” O’Connor told Baseball America. “He was at first base last year just because of the makeup of our ball club. Henry played a lot of third base at Baylor High School, but when you have the options that we had and had the need at first base, it was easiest to just put him over at first base and let him hit and he did a nice job at first base.”
O’Connor said he proposed a move to the outfield following the conclusion of the 2024 season, which saw Ford hit .336/.409/.597 with 31 extra-base hits, including 17 home runs, and 69 RBI in 61 games.
“I met with Henry after the season last year, and he and I talked and agreed that the best move for the University of Virginia, but more importantly the best move for Henry Ford’s future, was to convert him to an outfielder,” O’Connor said. “He worked all summer and all fall at being the best outfielder he can be and it worked. He’s going to be a really good outfielder.”
At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Ford’s frame and strength align with increasingly common physical profiles for MLB corner outfielders.
They allowed him to achieve an impressive 94.7 mph average, 106.2 mph 90th percentile and 112.4 mph peak exit velocities last season, and O’Connor said it should also enable his arm to perform adequately as a thrower from the grass.
“He plays the position well enough,” O’Connor said. “His angles are really good, and his arm actually plays a lot better in the outfield with a little bit of length. It’s plenty of arm out there, and he’s a good athlete that is rangy. It isn’t going to be an 80 outfielder. But it’s going to be well good enough. I just believe that that’s his future in this game.”
Ford is one of several highly-touted prospects on Virginia’s roster this season.
The Cavaliers also returned outfielder Harrison Didawick, an early Player of the Year candidate, second baseman Henry Godbout, catcher Jacob Ferrence and center fielder Aidan Teel. Former Pasco-Hernando College two-way player Chris Arroyo joined the group and quickly emerged as a breakout hopeful after hitting .403 with 60 runs, 10 doubles, 19 home runs, 52 RBI and nine stolen bases while pitching his way to a 3.53 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 62.2 innings.
O’Connor said the wealth of talent and depth on his roster allowed him to make changes such as moving Ford to the outfield.
“We have a lot of options and a lot of guys who are very flexible and versatile, which is a great thing,” he said. “Henry is certainly one of those guys but we’re really confident that we’re going to be highly competitive no matter where it is we end up slotting guys.”
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