- Lew Ford
Infobox MLB player
width = 150
name=Lew Fordposition=Outfielder
team=Hanshin Tigers
number=55
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1976|8|12
debutdate=May 29
debutyear=2003
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
statyear=2007
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.272
stat2label=Runs batted in
stat2value=172
stat3label=Home run s
stat3value=32
teams=
*Minnesota Twins (by|2003-by|2007)
*Hanshin Tigers (by|2008-present)Jon Lewis Ford (born
August 12 ,1976 inBeaumont, Texas ) is a professionaloutfielder for theHanshin Tigers of theNippon Professional Baseball league inJapan .Ford is a 1994 graduate of
Port Neches-Groves High School where he played football and baseball and a 1999 graduate ofDallas Baptist University . He also played college baseball atTexas A&M University andSeminole Junior College . He and his wife Corri (née Hernandez) have two children (Jake and Jordan).In 1998, Ford was a first team All American at Dallas Baptist. He set their single school batting record, batting .507 over the course of more than 50 games. In spite of this, Ford was not chosen in the MLB draft. He came back the following year and had another season at Dallas Baptist, after which he was drafted by the
Boston Red Sox in the 12th round of the 1999 amateur draft.In by|2000, he played his first full year of Single-A ball for the
Augusta Greenjackets of theSouth Atlantic League . He had a good season, stealing 52 of 56 bases, and established the team single-season batting record by hitting .315, adding 74 RBI from the leadoff spot.Baseball America named him as the best defensive outfielder in Class A, andThe Sporting News identified him as the Best 5-Tool Prospect in the Red Sox organization. He led minor league baseball in runs scored with 122. OnSeptember 9 , 2000, Ford was traded to theMinnesota Twins forHector Carrasco . He also led Minor League Baseball in runs scored in by|2002.He is known for an episode of accidentally burning himself with a hotel iron [cite news |first=Peter |last=Barzilai |title=Twins getting mileage from Ford |url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/twins/2004-05-20-ford-feature_x.htm |publisher=USA Today |date=2004-05-20 |accessdate=2007-12-17 ] , which is often erroneously told as a result of the attempted ironing of a shirt while wearing it. [cite news |first=Jim |last=Caple |title= Twins ride Ford's focus|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/040512 |publisher=ESPN.com |accessdate=2007-12-17 ]
In by|2004, he finished tied for 24th in American League Most Valuable Player balloting, garnering a total 2 points out of a possible 392.
Ford was named AL Player of the Week for the week ending
August 21 , by|2005. He helped the Twins take three of four games from theSeattle Mariners after hitting 12-for-33, including three home runs, and leading the league in RBI and runs for that week.Ford was outrighted to the minor leagues on
October 5 , by|2007, but refused the assignment and became afree agent .Ford signed with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan on November 29, 2007.
References
External links
* [http://www.baseball-reference.com/f/fordle01.shtml Baseball Reference]
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