1B Blaze Jordan, DeSoto Central HS [MS]
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DoB: 12/19/2002. B/T: R/R.
Commitment: Mississippi State.
If you've ever gone down a YouTube rabbit hole watching baseball videos, you've probably come across a tabloid-looking video claiming some 15 year old Is The Next BRYCE HARPER. While Jordan isn't quite that good, the video wasn't entirely an exaggeration, as he's a legitimate draft prospect with some of the best raw power in the class. Originally a member of the class of 2021, he reclassified up to the class of 2020 to be eligible this year, making him the youngest player with top 100 hopes in this draft (he won't turn 18 until December). An up and down summer makes him a relatively divisive prospect, but he remains a strong one.
As you can probably tell from all of his YouTube videos, Jordan's carrying tool is his plus to potentially plus-plus raw power. He can knock the ball just about as far as anyone in the class, having done so at showcases around the country and having won numerous national home run derbies. He hits it hard, too, posting exit velocities north of 100 on a regular basis. Not just a free swinger, though, having long shown the ability to handle older pitching to an extent. However, he slumped at times over the summer facing pitchers who could be upwards of a year and a half older than him. He's currently a third baseman working hard to stay there, but unless he significantly improves his range and adds some arm strength, he's more than likely ticketed for first base. That puts a lot of pressure on his bat to perform and it could push him to college.
Jordan also has a relatively choppy swing without a ton of loft, and smoothing him out could help him tap even more power. In a sense, he's a litmus test on how teams view age. He didn't hit particularly well over the summer, but he was a rising junior going up against mostly rising seniors, and we could all reasonably expect that he would perform a lot better a year later.
The ceiling/floor split is pretty big here. He could hit 40 home runs a year, or he could flame out in the minor leagues. That discrepancy, which is made wider because he's just so young, probably gives him a better chance of making it to Mississippi State. If he hits well there, he could be an extremely attractive prospect in 2023 who not only has an SEC track record, but who is the age of a college sophomore. As for 2020, he could go as high as the second round to a team who buys into the power and youth, though his risk/reward profile probably fits better in the third or fourth round, at which point he might just head to Starkville.
Batting practice and game action over the summer
2018 video that made him famous
Jaw dropping home runs from 2016 (he was 13 years old)
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