What progressions should you look for in 2023 with Boston Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan?
Fans were excited when the Boston Red Sox selected Blaze Jordan in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Jordan was already famous for hitting monstrous home runs when he signed his contract.
With all the hype, it was easy to forget that Jordan was only 18 with plenty of room to improve. So while the power was a fun distraction, it would still be a grind.
Jordan came into the Red Sox system with issues defensively (although he did possess a strong arm) and questions about his ability to keep the strikeouts down and the average up. However, the right-handed hitter has made encouraging strides through his first two seasons in the minor leagues. Jordan holds a .296/.364/.472 slash line with 38 doubles, four triples, and 18 home runs in 148 games between Rookie Ball, Low-A, and High-A. He's been a solid run producer, driving in 94 runs and scoring 79 more over that span.
The defense hasn't been great, but it could be worse. There's potential for Jordan to be a decent enough corner infielder -- someone you could slot in at either position and feel comfortable with it.
Most important, though, have been the strikeouts. To this point, Jordan has 115 strikeouts over 635 plate appearances in the minor leagues. The argument you'll hear is that he's done this against lower-level pitching. There are questions about his bat speed that people expect to be challenged in the higher levels of the minor leagues. So far, we've seen Jordan produce at every level, though. He's kept the strikeouts down and the average up ... but the power really hasn't made an impact like some expected.
With that in mind, it's the power we're looking for in 2023. An uptick in that department is needed. Jordan hitting 20 home runs would be awesome. It shouldn't be to the detriment of the other areas of his game, though.
The Red Sox have a lot of young talent at their corner infield spots. Jordan needs something to help him stand out. If he can give the team something defensively, that's a plus. The real focus is keeping his average up and the strikeouts down, while adding some more home run power to his game.
Jordan will be 20 this season. That's still extremely young, but it's old enough for that power potential to start shining through. If he can take that step forward, the Red Sox could have a serious offensive prospect on their hands.