Ford was picked 18th overall in the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He spent four years in the minor league system for the Athletics before he was traded on October 23, 1974, to the Twins with Dennis Myers for Pat Bourque.[1] For the next four seasons, Ford was a regular in the Twins' lineup. He hit the first home run at the renovated Yankee Stadium off Rudy May on the fifth pitch of the game after Jerry Terrell led off with a four-pitch walk in an 11–4 loss on April 15, 1976.[2] On August 10, 1979, Ford hit for the cycle for the Angels against the Seattle Mariners.[3] He succeeded Lyman Bostock as the Twins' starting center fielder in 1978, batting .274 with 82 RBI.[4]
Ford was traded from the Twins to the Angels for Ron Jackson and Danny Goodwin on December 4, 1978.[4] He was tagged out by Doug DeCinces while attempting to advance to third base on a force play that ended Game 2 of the 1979 American League Championship Series.[5] Both Ford and DeCinces were exchanged for each other 2+1⁄3 years later in a trade that also sent Jeff Schneider from the Orioles to the Angels and was announced on January 28, 1982.[6] The deal was delayed when Ford requested additional compensation because the Orioles were not one of six teams listed in his contract to which he could be traded without approval. The transaction became official upon his approval two days later on January 30.[7] The Orioles had tried to trade for Ford previously, but were unable to after the Angels originally picked him up.[8]
Ford spent much of his four years with the Orioles on the disabled list and was on the active roster for 302 out of a possible 647 games. He batted .187 with one home run and one RBI in 28 games during a 1985 campaign that was abbreviated when he underwent an arthroscopy on his left knee on July 17. The knee surgery was his fourth since November 1979. He was released by the Orioles six months later on January 23, 1986.[11]
