Darren Ford (baseball)

Darren Ford
San Francisco Giants — No. 34
Outfielder
Born: October 1, 1985 (1985-10-01) (age 26) Vineland, New Jersey
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2010 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics (through As of May 25, 2011)
Hits	3
Stolen Bases	7
Runs	7
Teams
San Francisco Giants (2010-present)

Darren Scott Ford (born October 1, 1985 in Vineland, New Jersey), nicknamed The Bullet,^[1] is a professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants His nickname ("The Bullet") is derived from his ability to steal bases with great efficiency.

Early life

Ford played for the South Vineland Little League organization during his youth which went to the Junior League world series in Taylor, Michigan and the Senior League World Series in Kissimmee, Florida and Bangor, Maine. He was also a stand out high school football player and track star. In high school, he recorded a 4.44 sec 40 yard dash time. ^[2]

Education

Ford attended Vineland High School and then Chipola College.

Draft

He was taken by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round, 526th overall, in the 2004 amateur draft.

Professional career

He began his professional career in 2005, playing for the Rookie-level Helena Brewers. In 61 games that year, he hit .271 with one home run, 24 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

In 2006, he played in 125 games for the A-level West Virginia Power, hitting .283 with seven home runs, 54 RBI and 69 stolen bases. He ranked second in the South Atlantic League in stolen bases, behind only Eric Young, Jr.

He split the 2007 season between West Virginia and the Brevard County Manatees, hitting a combined .278 with 9 home runs, 60 RBI and 67 stolen bases.

He began the 2008 season with the Manatees, however on July 20 he was traded to the Giants with minor leaguer Steve Hammond for Ray Durham. He finished the season with the San Jose Giants. He hit a combined .227 with 2 home runs, 34 RBI and 62 stolen bases that season.

With the San Jose Giants in 2009, Ford batted .300 with 9 home runs, 50 RBI and 35 stolen bases.^[3]

Ford was added to the Giants 40 man roster after the 2009 season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

Ford played 113 games during the 2010 season for the AA Richmond Flying Squirrels, hitting .251 with 5 HR, 40 RBI, and 37 stolen bases.^[4] On September 1, 2010, when the rosters expanded, Ford was called up for the first time. His flights were delayed, and he arrived after the start of the game. In his major league debut, he was inserted as a pinch runner in the bottom of the 8th inning of a tie game against the Colorado Rockies. He advanced to second base on a bunt-and-run, reached third base on a pitch that got only a few feet away from catcher Miguel Olivo, and scored the game winning run when Olivo overthrew third base on the play.

On April 30, 2011, Ford recorded his first major league hit. He singled off of Nationals relief pitcher Tyler Clippard in the top of the eighth inning.^[5]

Legal issues

In November 2009, Ford told police he'd been robbed at gunpoint of $1,517.08^[6] he was transporting for his employer; the following July, accused of lying about the incident, he was charged with making false reports to law enforcement, obstruction of the administration of law, conspiracy, and theft by failure to make proper disposition of property received.^[7] In January 2011, officials with the Cumberland County (N.J.) prosecutor's office accepted his request for pre-trial intervention, allowing dismissal of the charges if he meets a series of court ordered requirements.^[8]

References

1. ^ "Ford, Burriss key Giants' walk-off win in 11th". mlb.com Ford, Burriss key Giants' walk-off win in 11th. mlb.com. http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_05_22_oakmlb_sfnmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=sf. Retrieved 22 May 2011. 
2. ^ "Darren Ford Profile". Scout.com Darren Ford Profile. Scout.com. http://padres.scout.com/a.z?s=315&p=8&c=1&nid=856965. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
3. ^ Baseball Reference Minors
4. ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=LF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=452096
5. ^ "Darren Ford Gets First Major League Hit". The Daily Journal. http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110502/SPORTS/105020335/Darren-Ford-gets-first-career-hit. Retrieved 25 May 2011. 
6. ^ This figure is from "Ford a step closer to avoiding trial," by Joseph P. Smith, The Daily Journal [Vineland, New Jersey], January 20, 2011; the article is no longer available online, so all other facts are from the two sources cited below.
7. ^ "Major League prospect Darren Ford faces theft, false report charges in Vineland," by Joe Green, The News of Cumberland County, July 7, 2010, available at http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2010/07/major_league_prospect_darren_f.html (accessed May 2011).
8. ^ "Pre-trial intervention approved for Vineland baseball star," by Jason Laday, The News of Cumberland County, January 19, 2011, available at http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2011/01/pre-trial_intervention_approve.html (accessed May 2011).

http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2000-08-16/Sports/03.html

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Persondata
Name	Ford, Darren
Alternative names
Short description	Major League Baseball player
Date of birth	October 1, 1985
Place of birth	Vineland, New Jersey
Date of death
Place of death