Red Sox draft slugger, pair of southpaws
Jordan has rare power potential
A day after snagging one highly-regarded high school prospect, the Red Sox landed another who’s one of the more popular names in the 2020 draft class.
After taking Nick Yorke at No. 17 overall Wednesday night, the Red Sox used the No. 89 overall pick in the third round on Blaze Jordan, a third baseman from DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi who may have the most raw power of any prospect in the draft. At 17 years old, the Mississippi State recruit is one of the youngest players in the draft after he reclassified from the 2021 draft to 2020.
Jordan’s standout power is clearly rare for his age, and he became a bit of a baseball phenom at a young age for some displays that went viral. At 13 years old, he became a YouTube star for hitting a pair of home runs that each went at least 500 feet, and last July, he won the High School Home Run Derby during All-Star festivities in Cleveland.
“He doesn’t turn 18 until December and has had little trouble hitting with impact against the top pitching in his class and against older players throughout his high school career,” Jordan’s Baseball America scouting report says. “Jordan has a mature approach at the plate, with quick, fluid hands and an all-fields approach in batting practice and in games despite his plus raw power.”
Jordan, at 6-foot-2, 218 pounds, has earned comparisons to Bryce Harper for several years, and that’s natural as both were power-hitting bats that were declared future stars at a young age. But while Jordan’s power is clearly already big-league ready, evaluators believe he still has work to do to develop into a consistent hitter at the plate.
Jordan will likely play a corner infield spot at the next level. He played at third for the majority of his high school career but the belief is he’ll need to clean up his footwork and improve his throwing ability in order to project at the hot corner long term.
Jordan’s selection in the third round carries a $667,900 slot value. The Red Sox, who did not have a second-round pick as a result of their 2018 sign-stealing punishment, have just $5,219,900 to spend on their four picks and may need to get creative in order to sign Jordan, who’s been committed to Mississippi State since he was in eighth grade and may head there to continue his development.
“Jordan could make it to campus at Mississippi State and fully tap into his hitting ability and power potential against SEC competition, but he might be a tough sign for teams as a below-average runner and a right-right likely first base prospect down the line,” Baseball America’s scouting report said. “Teams frequently make players of Jordan’s profile prove their bat in college, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Jordan did just that.”
Sox load up on lefties
With their fourth-round selection, the Red Sox took Jeremy Wu-Yelland, a lefthanded pitcher from the University of Hawai’i who impressed in the Cape Cod League last summer.
Wu-Yelland, who was ranked No. 260 on Baseball America’s draft prospects list, projects as a reliever in the majors. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder struggled over his first two seasons at Hawai’i posting an ERA over 5.00 as he split time between the rotation and bullpen. But he seemed to turn a corner as a member of the Chatham Anglers in the CCBL last summer, when he put up a 3.16 ERA and struck out 26 in 25 innings.
Wu-Yelland, 20, seemed to carry that momentum into a shortened spring season with Hawai’i. He allowed just one run in 13 innings pitched, which included a dominant performance against No. 2 Vanderbilt in which he struck out six in four innings. He possesses a fastball that sits in the low 90s and has touched 96 mph in addition to a curveball and changeup.
“Wu-Yelland has the arsenal to start, but he has struggled to consistently throw strikes in his career and projects as a reliever long-term,” Baseball America’s scouting report said. “He pitched out of the bullpen exclusively this spring and excelled in both long relief and save situations.”
The Red Sox finished off the five-round draft by selecting 21-year-old Florida State left-hander Shane Drohan with the 148th overall pick.
Drohan was selected in the 23rd round of the 2017 draft by the Phillies but opted to play for the Seminoles, where he became a starter as a sophomore, posting a 3.66 ERA in 51 innings and struggled with command, posting 8.4 walks per nine innings. After a summer with the Falmouth Commodores in the CCBL, Drohan made four starts for FSU this spring as he posted 27 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Drohan, ranked the No. 189 prospect by Baseball
America, is seen by some scouts as a reliever at the next level due to the inconsistency of his control.
“His stuff doesn’t have the explosion or plus potential that back-end relievers all have in the big league game, limiting his upside in that role if starting doesn’t work out,” Baseball America wrote in its scouting report. “He still has a solid three-pitch mix with some athleticism and projection remaining, giving him a chance to take another step forward in pro ball.”
Wu-Yelland’s fourthround slot value is projected at $487,900, while Drohan projects at $364,400 in the fifth round.