Mariners' ex-phenom Harry Ford made immediate impact in debut with Nationals

Harry Ford finally got the MLB call.

The former Seattle Mariners first-round pick only got a little bit of big league time before they traded him away in the offseason.

On Friday night, Ford made his Washington Nationals debut, and his impact was immediate.

While it was an ugly loss for the Nats, Ford blasted a home run to open his account:

Harry Ford belts his first Major League home run in his first big league game with the @Nationals 👏 pic.twitter.com/hKT7Nrydge

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Ford isn't a big dude, but he's an athletically impressive catcher. He's up with the Nationals with Drew Millas having gone on the Injured List, and he'll share playing time with Keibert Ruiz for now.

If Ford hits well, the Nationals might consider keeping him on the club even when Millas is healthy, but that's a future worry.

For now, it's just good for Washington to see Ford hit.

He was blocked in Seattle by the presence of Cal Raleigh, and even though this has been a rough season for the Big Dumper, it's not like Ford would've taken over all the action behind the dish anyway.

Seattle got Jose Ferrer, a hard-throwing lefty reliever, in the trade for Ford. He has a 2.93 ERA through 45 appearances, having done exactly what the Mariners believed he could do.

Most likely, neither side will have to regret this trade, unless Ford becomes a super-duper star. 

In the meantime, Ford is now getting a chance to prove himself in MLB, and at least in his first game with the Nationals, he seized that chance.

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