Right Fielders of the 70s: "Disco" Dan Ford

Only two MLB players in history have earned the nickname "Disco." One is active with the San Francisco Giants, Anthony DeSclafani, and the other was the right fielder for the Twins from 1975-1978, “Disco” Dan Ford. One has earned the nickname simply as a play on their last name. The other was a man who couldn’t do his pre-game warm-ups without the sounds of Parliament or Funkadelic to get the juices flowing. 

Ford broke into MLB in 1975 with the Twins as a rookie at the age of 23. The early-season struggles of Darwin allowed Ford to play every day alongside another Twins rookie sensation Lyman Bostock. 

Although Ford did not attract the attention of American League writers to earn Rookie of the Year voting in 1975, he quickly became a fan favorite for Twins fans. The only players in the American League that received any rookie of the year voting were Fred Lynn and Jim Rice, both outfielders on the American League Champion Red Sox.

Ford’s breakout rookie numbers included a .280 batting average, 15 home runs, 59 runs batted in, and a .767 OPS in 130 games. Ford had a great start to his career and carried that into his sophomore season.

There was no such thing as a sophomore slump for Ford in 1976. It turned out to be his best season with the Twins. In 145 games that season, Ford hit a .267 batting average, 20 home runs, 86 runs batted in, and a .781 OPS. Ford did lead the Twins in home runs that season as it was one of the lower power-hitting eras in Twins history following the departure and retirement of Harmon Killebrew. 

The Twins were competitive in the AL West in 1976, finishing third with an 85-77, two-and-a-half games behind the Oakland A’s for second place and five games behind the Kansas City Royals for the AL West title. 

During Rod Carew’s MVP 1977 season, Ford saw a slight dip in his numbers. Ford’s average plateaued at .267 again. He hit 11 home runs with 60 runs batted in, and a .764 OPS. Ford’s numbers may have declined, however, his all-star teammates Carew and Larry Hisle helped carry the Twins to an 84-77 record finishing fourth in the West. 

And although he wasn’t an all-star that season, Ford played alongside the rising stars in baseball for his last season with the Twins. Bostock’s best season of his short career came in 1977 with Ford next to him daily in right field. 

As Bostock departed from the Twins in the 1977-78 offseason for the California Angels, Ford would find himself in his final season with the Twins in 1978 alongside Carew. Ford’s 1978 was an uptick from 1977 as he had a .274 batting average, 11 home runs, 82 runs batted in, ten triples, and a .756 OPS. Ford’s RBI totals led the Twins that season, and he was second in home runs to Roy Smalley’s 19. 

Following the offseason of 1978, Ford was traded by the Twins to the California Angels for Ron Jackson and Danny Goodwin. Later that offseason, Rod Carew would join his Twins teammate with the Angels, leading Ford to his first career postseason appearance in 1979 with the AL West champion Angels. 

In a 3-1 series loss, Ford’s Angels came up short in the AL Championship Series to the Baltimore Orioles. Ford’s playing time would decline after the 1979 season as he only played 162 games between 1980 and 1981. After the 1981 season, the Angels again traded Ford to the Orioles to get another chance to make it to the World Series.

The 1983 Baltimore Orioles gave Ford that chance to get his first World Series championship. Ford hit .280/.328/.768 in 103 games with the Orioles that season. When the Orioles faced the Phillies in the World Series, Ford played in all five games of the 4-1 series victory against the Phillies, hitting a home run to get his one and only World Series ring. 

Ford would play 20 games over the 1984 and 1985 seasons before retiring at 33 following the 1985 season. Ford’s career spanned over a decade, and he was one of the more underrated outfielders of his time. His most prosperous time in MLB was with the Twins playing a supporting role in the outfield and lineup to stars that brought Twins fans into the seats. 

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