Darren

Ford

Ford became a free agent after being designated for assignment by the Giants last month. The 26-year-old speedster batted .286 (4-for-14) and went 7-for-12 in stolen base attempts over 26 games at the major league level this season. He could stick as an extra outfielder.

The move clears him from the Giants’ 40-man roster. Ford, a 26-year-old outfielder, batted .286 (4-for-14) and went 7-for-12 in stolen base attempts over 26 games at the major league level this season.

The 27-year-old outfielder hit .273/.326/.385 with four homers, 33 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 70 games at Triple-A Tacoma during the 2012 season. One of the fastest players in all of baseball, Ford will compete for a reserve outfielder role with the Pirates.

Good to hear. Ford was involved in a scary play Thursday when he made a head-first dive into the left field wall in a game against Salt Lake, but he’s managed to escape serious injury. He’ll be placed on Fresno’s disabled list but it sounds like he’ll make a full recovery.

It was a scary scene, but thankfully Ford was cleared of any further injuries and has already been released from the hospital. He’ll be placed on Fresno’s disabled list and it’s not clear how long he’ll be sidelined.

The 28-year-old outfielder previously spent four years in the Giants organization from 2008-2011. He spent the 2013 season at Triple-A Indianapolis where he slashed .230/.307/.301 with two homers, 19 RBI and 29 stolen bases. He’s nothing more than organizational depth at the moment.

Ford hit .261/.333/.403 with 11 homers and 33 steals at Triple-A last season. The 30-year-old hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2011.

Ford, 22, was hitting .230/.322/.303 with 48 steals for Single-A Brevard County. He’s awfully speedy, but he’s now had 160 games in the FSL and still hasn’t done anything offensively. He’s a long shot to make it as a bench player.

Ford, a speedy center fielder in A-ball, isn’t much of a prospect, and a deal involving him likely wouldn’t bring back more than a bench player. It’s known that the Brewers have talked with the Giants, likely about left-hander Jack Taschner and Ray Durham. The Giants might be willing to accept Ford for Durham, but they’d want more for Taschner.

Ford is still running wild, but he hasn’t hit since moving up to the FSL. His OPS slipped from 902 to 625 following a midseason promotion last year, and he’s hitting just .239/.319/.319 in 276 at-bats during 2008. He’s an excellent defender in center and a terrific basestealer, so he’d have a career in the majors if he could just manage modest numbers. However, it’s not looking good for him at age 22.