Darren Ford

He is the Grandson of Ted Ford, who played in the majors in the early 1970s.

Darren Scott Ford (born October 1, 1985), nicknamed The Bullet, is an American former professional baseball center fielder.

Darren Scott Ford was born on October 1, 1985, in Vineland, New Jersey.

Because his father was absent from the home, his mother, Carla, was his primary caregiver during his childhood.

Ford played for the South Vineland Little League organization during his youth, helping them reach the Junior League World Series in 2000 and the Senior League World Series in 2002.

He attended Vineland High School, where he was a "standout baseball and football player" and one of the best high school athletes in the state of New Jersey, according to The Press of Atlantic City.

As a senior at Vineland High, he batted .326 with 31 runs scored and 38 stolen bases in 39 attempts, helping Vineland reach the South Jersey Group IV final before losing to Toms River East High School.

Playing running back on the football team, he rushed for 11 touchdowns and 827 yards, also returning two kickoffs for touchdowns and catching three touchdown passes.

On the indoor track and field team, he won the Group IV 55-meter dash.

Selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round (526th overall) of the 2004 MLB Draft, he played in their minor league system until 2008, when he was traded to the Giants for Ray Durham.

Ford chose to pursue a baseball career, signing with the Milwaukee Brewers, who selected him in the 18th round (526th overall) of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft.

A draft-and-follow pick, Ford played one season of baseball at Chipola College before beginning his professional career in 2005 with the Rookie-level Helena Brewers.

In 61 games that year, he hit .271 with one home run and 24 runs batted in (RBIs).

He and Dexter Fowler tied for ninth in the Pioneer League with 18 stolen bases.

In 2006, Ford played in 125 games for the Class A-level West Virginia Power, hitting .283 with seven home runs, 54 RBIs and 69 stolen bases.

He ranked second in the South Atlantic League in stolen bases, behind only Eric Young Jr.., who stole 87.

Ford split the 2007 season between West Virginia and the Class A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees, hitting a combined .278 with nine home runs, 60 RBIs, and 67 stolen bases.

He began the 2008 season with the Manatees.

On July 20, 2008, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants with minor leaguer Steve Hammond in exchange for Ray Durham.

Ford finished the 2008 season with the Class A-Advanced San Jose Giants.

He hit a combined .227 with two home runs, 34 RBIs, and 62 stolen bases between Brevard County and San Jose that season.

Although he had only played 91 games with Brevard County, Ford's 48 stolen bases in the Florida State League were topped only by Quintin Berry's 51.

Remaining with San Jose in 2009, Ford batted .300 with nine home runs and 50 RBIs.

His 35 stolen bases ranked fourth in the California League, behind Tyson Gillies's 44, Trayvon Robinson's 43, and Elián Herrera's 42.

San Jose won the California League championship, defeating the High Desert Mavericks three games to none in the finals.

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

He played 33 games for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2010 and 2011, used most often as a pinch runner.

Born and raised in Vineland, New Jersey, Ford starred playing baseball and football at Vineland High School.

Called up by San Francisco in late 2010, he scored the winning run in the eighth inning of a game against the Colorado Rockies in his September 1 debut.

Though not on the roster when the team won the 2010 World Series, he travelled with the Giants throughout the playoffs, in case an injury necessitated his addition to the roster.

Ford played 113 games during the 2010 season for the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels, hitting .251 with five home runs and 40 RBIs.

His 37 stolen bases were second in the Eastern League to Darin Mastroianni's 46.

On September 1, 2010, when Major League Baseball (MLB) rosters expanded, Ford was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.

The Giants were battling the San Diego Padres for the National League (NL) West title, and they hoped Ford's speed could help them in the remainder of the season.

A delayed flight caused him to miss his connection, and he did not join the Giants until the second inning of that day's game against the Colorado Rockies.

Inserted as a pinch runner in the bottom of the eighth inning with the score tied at one, he advanced to second base on a bunt-and-run play, reached third base on a wild pitch that landed only a few feet away from catcher Miguel Olivo, and scored what would be the game-winning run when Olivo overthrew third base on the play.

"I'll say this, the kid didn't hesitate. He can fly. That's a great call-up. He comes up and helps us win the game. He showed no fear up there," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

He played 26 games with the Giants in 2011 before spraining his ankle in late May.

Released following the 2011 season, Ford spent 2012 in the Seattle Mariners organization and 2013 in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization before rejoining the Giants system from 2014 through 2016.

He then played with Atlantic League teams from 2017 through 2019, set to return for a fourth year in 2020 before the league's season was cancelled due to COVID-19.