Former teammates and roommates, Ford and Clase reunite at All-Star Futures Game
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2023 All-Star Game in Seattle
Seattle’s T-Mobile Park is the focus of the baseball world this week as MLB’s top players gather for the 2023 All-Star Game. The TNT sports staff brings you all the action.
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Just inside T-Mobile Park’s home clubhouse are the lockers of Seattle prospects Harry Ford and Jonatan Clase, the first set of neighboring shelves for what could someday become their normal stomping grounds.
They’re no strangers, once roommates and teammates in parts of three seasons in the Mariners organization, spanning from the Arizona Complex League in 2021 to High-A ball in Everett this year.
Seattle’s pair of young, blossoming prospects envisioned this exact scenario before, playing together on the biggest stage for MLB’s brightest prospects. Ford and Clase were Seattle’s pair of representatives in Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game in Seattle, where 28 of MLB’s Top 100 prospects (50 total) showcased their talents and excite their fan bases for what’s to come.
Ford, a 20-year old catcher, is Seattle’s top prospect, per MLB. Clase, a 21-year-old outfielder, ranks 11th on the Mariners’ Top 30 list.
“We talked about this all the time,” Ford told reporters Saturday afternoon. “‘Man, it’d be crazy if both of us made it,’” he’d tell Clase.
They agreed. “We could do that.”
“We’ve been teammates for the last three years, until he left for Arkansas,” Ford continued. “It’s been great seeing (Jonatan) flourish, and both of us doing (this) together.”
Clase was indeed promoted to Double-A Arkansas on May 3, a split of the dynamic duo. But they’re reunited, if only for a day, with the best of their peers.
“(Harry’s) my American friend,” Clase said through a translator, and a chorus of laughter among reporters ensued. “We’re very excited to be here.”
Ford and Clase were named to the All-Star Futures roster on June 26, a seven-inning game both coached and attended by former greats. Ford arrived at T-Mobile Park on Saturday morning only to meet the likes of Ken Griffey Jr. and numerous former All-Stars.
“It’s been an absolute dream,” he said. “I’ve met so many guys that I’ve watched my whole life. … Getting to know them … is baseball heaven.
“I shook the hands of Raul Ibanez, Adrian Beltre, King Felix … It’s so cool. Each and every one of them is really special to me.”
Ford is slashing .246/.407/.397 in 73 games with High-A Everett this season, a versatile catcher selected by the Mariners with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. Touted for “tremendous raw pop” by scouts, Ford adds well-above-average speed and presents a base-stealing threat.
Clase, meanwhile, sports 70-grade speed, already with 47 stolen bases this season. Signed out of the Dominican Republic by Seattle in July 2018, it’s Clase’s power that makes the speedster so intriguing, the owner of 16 home runs and 50 RBI across 74 combined games with High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas in 2023.
“I played a lot with Julio (Rodriguez) when he was in the minor leagues,” Clase said through a translator. “He showed me a lot, and taught me a lot. It means a lot to know these players that make it to the majors have been there for me.”
American League Futures manager Harold Reynolds – a two-time All-Star with the Mariners in 1987-88 – penciled in Clase as Saturday’s leadoff hitter. Ford will bat fourth, at cleanup. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT, and the game will air exclusively on SiriusXM and Peacock.
What has the former roommates and teammates back together again, and on this stage?
“I think it all comes from our processes, and what we base our organization around,” Ford said. “How diligent we are with the basics, the fundamentals. Dominating the zone, being a good teammate. … With the young guys, it really benefits them. And they don’t stick in. They flourish.”
This story was originally published July 8, 2023 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Former teammates and roommates, Ford and Clase reunite at All-Star Futures Game."
