Tag: prospects

Red Sox promote top outfield prospect Miguel Bleis to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox are promoting top outfield prospect Miguel Bleis from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Bleis, 20, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The right-handed hitter batted .257/.349/.398 with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 22 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 21 walks, and 38 strikeouts over 43 games (195 plate appearances) for Salem to begin the 2024 season.

After undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a left shoulder subluxation last summer, Bleis unsurprisingly got off to a slow start in his return to Salem this spring. He struggled to a .573 OPS through the end of April before turning a corner offensively in May by slashing .318/.408/.506. He then missed some time at the beginning of the month while recovering from a root canal but extended his hitting streak to 16 games and on-base streak to 25 games upon returning to action last week.

Among 79 qualified hitters in the Carolina League to this point in the year, Bleis ranks 18th in strikeout rate (19.5 percent), 25th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, 26th in slugging percentage and OPS (.747), 24th in isolated power (.140), fourth in line-drive rate (30.2 percent), and 27th in swinging-strike rate (10.9 percent) and wRC+ (121), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Bleis saw the majority of his playing time in Salem this season come in center field. The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder logged 272 innings in center while committing two errors and recording two outfield assists. He also started six games in right field, where notched an additional assist, and six at designated hitter.

Bleis, who just turned 20 in March, originally signed with the Red Sox for $1.5 million as a highly-touted international free agent coming out of the Dominican Republic in January 2021. The San Pedro de Macoris native made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League that July and followed that by turning heads in the 2022 Florida Complex League.

On the heels of an exciting stateside debut, Bleis came into the 2023 campaign ranked by Baseball America as the No. 88 prospect in the sport. He had a tough time of things in his first go-around with Salem and slashed .230/.282/.325 over 31 games before straining his shoulder and ultimately going under the knife last June.

As such, Bleis saw his prospect stock fall somewhat over the winter but is starting to gain some of it back. A new challenge in the form of a promotion to Greenville, where he will be tasked with facing more advanced pitching, could help him further elevate his profile and get back on top-100 prospects lists.

In making the jump from Salem, Bleis is now slated to join an outfield mix in Greenville that — at the moment — includes the likes of Allan Castro, Juan Chacon, Jhostynxon Garcia, Bryan Gonzalez, Eduardo Lopez, and Miguel Ugueto, among others. He will likely make his High-A debut in the Drive’s upcoming series against the Asheville Tourists at Fluor Field this week.

(Picture of Miguel Bleis: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox top catching prospect Kyle Teel named Eastern League Player of the Week

Top Red Sox catching prospect Kyle Teel has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of May 27-June 2, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Teel enjoyed a productive week in Double-A Portland’s latest series on the road against the Altoona Curve. Appearing in all six games, the left-handed hitting 22-year-old went 10-for-24 (.417) with one double, three home runs, 11 RBIs, six runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and five strikeouts.

After going deep in Tuesday’s opener and going hitless on Wednesday, Teel went 3-for-4 on Thursday before coming through in the clutch on back-to-back nights. With his side trailing and down to their final strike on Friday, Teel crushed a game-tying three-run homer. He followed that up by clubbing a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth on Saturday. The Sea Dogs won both contests and are riding a three-game winning streak after taking Sunday’s series finale.

On the heels of another strong road trip, Teel is now batting a stout .307/.411/.497 with 11 doubles, six home runs, 34 RBIs, 34 runs scored, three stolen bases, 24 walks, and 40 strikeouts over 40 games (180 plate appearances) for Portland this season. That is especially encouraging when considering he was slashing just .213/.333/.344 through the end of April.

Among 88 qualified Eastern League hitters, Teel ranks 16th in walk rate (13.3 percent) and isolated power (.190), fourth in batting average and on-base percentage, sixth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.908), ninth in line-drive rate (28.3 percent), and second in wRC+ (159), per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Teel has unsurprisingly seen all of his playing time on the field this season come at catcher. The 6-foot, 190-pound backstop has logged 232 1/3 innings behind the plate for Portland thus far, allowing just two passed balls while throwing out five of 36 possible base stealers. He has also started 13 games as the Sea Dogs’ designated hitter.

Teel, who turned 22 in February, is in the midst of his first full professional season after being selected by the Red Sox with the 14th overall pick in last summer’s draft out of Virginia. The New Jersey native signed with the club for $4 million and made it up to Portland before the 2023 campaign drew to a close. He is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect (and best defensive catcher) in Boston’s farm system and the No. 47 prospect in the sport.

Teel joins Matthew Lugo (April 15-21) and Blaze Jordan (April 22-28) as the third member of the Sea Dogs to earn Eastern League Player of the Week honors this season. On the flip side, left-hander Zach Penrod was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of May 13-19.

Lugo and Penrod have since earned promotions to Triple-A Worcester after getting off to impressive starts in Portland. Teel, one-third of Boston’s ‘Big Three’ alongside fellow top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, may not be too far behind.

(Picture of Kyle Teel: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote hard-hitting prospect Kristian Campbell to Double-A Portland

With Matthew Lugo making the jump to Triple-A Worcester, the Red Sox are promoting fellow prospect Kristian Campbell from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Campbell, who turns 22 later this month, is enjoying a productive first full season in pro ball after being drafted by the Red Sox out of Georgia Tech last summer. The right-handed hitter batted .306/.418/.558 with 13 doubles, eight home runs, 25 RBIs, 29 runs scored, three stolen bases, 26 walks, and 47 strikeouts over 40 games (177 plate appearances) for the Drive to begin the 2024 campaign.

Among 70 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League, Campbell ranks seventh in batting average and total bases (82), third in on-base percentage and extra-base hits (21), second in slugging percentage, first in OPS (.976), fourth in isolated power (.252), and 15th in walk rate (14.7 percent), per MiLB.com’s leaderboards.

Defensively, Campbell has mainly split his playing time this season between second base and center field. The versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder did not commit an error at either position with Greenville and made one start at third base. He has prior experience at both corner outfield spots as well.

A Georgia native himself, Campbell was taken by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall selection in the 2023 amateur draft. That was the same pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

Campbell signed with the Red Sox for $492,700 last July and, after a brief stop in the Florida Complex League, played a pivotal role in Greenville taking home the 2023 South Atlantic League title. The 21-year-old spent most of this past offseason in Fort Myers and drew plenty of praise during spring training thanks in part to displaying eye-popping exit velocity at the plate. To that end, he is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 30 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

As is the case with Lugo in Worcester, it should be interesting to see how Campbell adjusts to more advanced competition in Portland. He nonetheless joins a stacked Sea Dogs roster that — at the moment — includes the likes of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Kyle Teel, Luis Perales, Wikelman Gonzalez, Nick Yorke, and Eddinson Paulino, among others.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox promote prospects Jhostynxon Garcia, Jedixson Paez to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia and right-hander Jedixson Paez from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, according to the club’s MiLB.com transactions log.

Garcia and Paez are currently ranked by SoxProspects.com as the Nos. 35 and 47 prospects in Boston’s farm system. The pair of Venezuelans originally signed with the Red Sox as international free agents in July 2019 and January 2021, respectively.

Garcia, 21, batted .258/.365/.517 with six doubles, one triple, a team-leading five home runs, 19 RBIs, 20 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, 15 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 24 games (104 plate appearances) for Salem to begin the 2024 season. The right-handed hitter was sidelined for over two weeks (from late April through early May) with a left hamstring strain but still maintained his status as one of the Red Sox’ top power threats upon returning to action.

Among 109 Carolina League hitters who have made at least 100 trips to the plate this year, Garcia ranks 21st in walk rate (14.4 percent), 34th in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage and OPS (.882), first in isolated power (.258), third in speed score (8.2), and sixth in wRC+ (152), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia made 12 starts in center field and nine starts in right field for Salem. The 6-foot, 163-pounder committed one error and recorded one outfield assist (both from center) in 39 total defensive chances between the two spots. He has past experience in left field as well.

Garcia, who does not turn 22 until December, will join an outfield mix in Greenville that already includes the likes of Allan Castro, Kristian Campbell, Miguel Ugueto, and Bryan Gonzalez. He should provide the Drive with additional depth in the absences of Juan Chacon and Caden Rose, who are both currently on the 7-day injured list.

Paez, meanwhile, posted a 2.53 ERA (2.28 FIP) with 35 strikeouts to four walks in seven appearances (five starts) spanning 32 innings for Salem this season. The 20-year-old righty was used as a bulk reliever in his last two times out and went four innings in each outing, allowing a total of three runs (two earned) on 11 hits, one walk, and five punchouts.

Among 48 pitchers in the Carolina League who have accrued at least 30 innings this year, Paez ranks 16th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.84), third in walks per nine innings (1.13), walk rate (3 percent), and swinging-strike rate (16.7 percent), 18th in strikeout rate (26.5 percent), 14th in groundball rate (47.2 percent), ninth in ERA, and second in FIP and xFIP (.251), per FanGraphs. He also leads that group with a .380 batting average on balls put in play, which suggests that the defense behind him has struggled at times.

Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, Paez throws from a three-quarters arm slot and has some effort in his delivery. As noted in his SoxProspects.com scouting report, the young hurler operates with a three-pitch mix that consists of an 89-91 mph fastball that tops out at 92 mph, a 76-79 mph curveball, and an 82-84 mph changeup.

Paez, who does not turn 21 until next January, is slated to join a rotation mix in Greenville that includes the likes of the recently-activated Yordanny Monegro, Dalton Rogers, Juan Daniel Encarnacion, Cooper Adams, Connelly Early, and Hayden Mullins.

(Picture of Jedixson Paez: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox to promote infield prospect Tyler Miller to Double-A Portland

The Red Sox are promoting corner infield prospect Tyler Miller from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland, according to Chase Ford of MiLB Central.

Miller, 24, had been with Greenville since the start of the 2023 season. In his first 36 games this year, the left-handed hitter batted .275/.321/.450 with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, nine walks, and 28 strikeouts over 140 plate appearances for the Drive. He slashed .313/.365/.552 against right-handed pitching and just .171/.194/.171 against lefties.

Among 78 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League this season, Miller ranks 23rd in strikeout rate (20 percent) and OPS (.771), 17th in batting average and slugging percentage, 21st in isolated power (.176), 20th in line-drive rate (26 percent), 28th in swinging-strike rate (10.7 percent), and 30th in wRC+ (119), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Miller has primarily split his playing time between first and third base in 2024. With Greenville, the 6-foot-1, 193-pounder made 18 starts at first and 16 at the hot corner while committing six errors in 211 total defensive chances. He also has limited experience at all three outfield spots.

Miller was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn. The Alabama native signed for $157,800 that July and has since posted a slash line of .252/.313/.400 with 29 homers and 61 RBIs in 268 career games (1,106 plate appearances) across three different minor-league levels. He is not currently viewed by SoxProspects.com as one of the top 60 prospects in Boston’s farm system.

By making the jump to Portland, Miller should provide the Sea Dogs with additional depth at first and third base in the absence of Blaze Jordan, who has been sidelined since May 12 after fracturing his left ring finger on a play at the plate. Besides Jordan, Alex Binelas has been the only Sea Dogs player to log innings at both corner infield positions this year.

Miller, who does not turn 25 until December, is the first position player from Greenville’s 2024 Opening Day roster to receive a promotion to Portland. As noted by SoxProspects.com’s Chris Hatfield, it appears as though the Red Sox opened a spot for Miller on the Sea Dogs’ roster by releasing reliever Cody Scroggins.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan ‘expected to miss multiple weeks’ with fractured finger

Red Sox corner infield prospect Blaze Jordan is “expected to miss multiple weeks” after fracturing his left ring finger over the weekend, the club’s director of player development Brian Abraham told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Jordan suffered the injury in the first inning of Double-A Portland’s 10-7 loss to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Hadlock Field on Saturday afternoon. After drawing a two-out walk, the 21-year-old attempted to score from first on a Nick Yorke double. He was instead thrown out at home and fractured his finger while extending his left hand towards the plate.

Though he was taken out of the game and carted off the field, Jordan offered an optimistic take on the injury after the fact by tweeting “We’ll be back” with a heart emoji. He was placed on Portland’s 7-day injured list on Sunday but a more precise timetable for his return has not yet been revealed.

Jordan had been riding a 17-game hitting streak coming into play on Saturday, so this development certainly comes at an inopportune time. On the 2024 season as a whole, the right-handed hitter has batted .283/.342/.414 with seven doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs, 12 runs scored, six walks, and 11 strikeouts in 26 games (111 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Among qualified hitters in the Eastern League to this point in the year, Jordan boasts the lowest strikeout rate at 9.9 percent. He also ranks 17th in batting average, 37th in on-base percentage, 28th in slugging percentage, 33rd in OPS (.756), 21st in swinging-strike rate (9.9 percent), and 34th in wRC+ (116), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Jordan has unsurprisingly split time between first and third base with Portland this season. The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has made nine starts at the former and 14 starts at the latter, committing a total of three errors in 97 defensive chances. He has also started three games at designated hitter.

A former third-round draft selection coming out of DeSoto Central High School in 2020, Jordan is currently ranked by Baseball America as the No. 17 prospect in Boston’s farm system. The Mississippi native can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time in his career later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia to undergo season-ending knee surgery

Red Sox catching prospect Johanfran Garcia has a “significant knee injury” and will have season-ending surgery, according to reports from MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith and The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

Garcia was placed on Low-A Salem’s full-season injured list earlier this week after injuring himself last Wednesday. The 19-year-old ripped a line drive single to left field in the seventh inning of Salem’s 6-4 loss to Myrtle Beach but fell to the ground while rounding first base. He had to be carted off the field and was initially diagnosed with a right knee sprain.

Further imaging revealed a more serious prognosis that will ultimately require Garcia to go under the knife. Red Sox director of player development could not immediately offer a timetable for Garcia’s return when speaking with MassLive.com’s Sean McAdam on the most recent episode of the Fenway Rundown podcast.

“Unfortunately, with some more testing and some information we received, it’s a significant knee injury and he’s going to be out for the season,” said Abraham. “I don’t have details exactly on the injury but it’s unfortunate for him. He’s been one of our best performers, offensively and defensively. He continues to improve and was making a ton of progress.”

Garcia is currently regarded by Baseball America as the No. 13 prospect in Boston’s farm system, which ranks second among catchers in the organization behind only 2023 first-round draft selection Kyle Teel. The native Venezuelan originally signed with the Red Sox for $850,000 as an international free agent coming out of Valencia in January 2022.

Before getting hurt last week, Garcia had gotten his 2024 campaign off to a roaring start. In 14 games for Salem to begin the year, the right-handed hitter batted a stout .385/.467/.596 with five doubles, two home runs, five RBIs, five runs scored, six walks, and 15 strikeouts over 60 plate appearances.

On the other side of the ball, Garcia made 10 of his 14 starts at catcher this season. In the process of logging 85 innings behind the plate, the 5-foot-11, 196-pound backstop allowed two passed balls while throwing out six of 32 possible base stealers.

Garcia, who does not turn 20 until December, could have emerged as an intriguing trade candidate this summer had he stayed healthy. Instead, he will have to shift his focus toward rehabbing and getting ready for 2025 once he is cleared to resume baseball activities.

(Picture of Johanfran Garcia: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell homers in third straight game for High-A Greenville

Versatile Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell nearly hit for the cycle in High-A Greenville’s 8-2 win over the Asheville Tourists on Thursday night.

Batting second and starting at second base for the Drive at hitter-friendly McCormick Field, Campbell went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBIs, two runs scored, and a walk. All four hits had exit velocities of more than 100 mph, according to the Red Sox’ Player Development X/Twitter account.

After singling in the first inning, Campbell doubled in Ahbram Liendo to open the scoring in the top half of the third. The 21-year-old scored on a sacrifice fly and stroked another single in the fourth before crushing a two-run homer off Asheville reliever Carlos Calderon to give Greenville an 8-2 lead in the top of the fifth.

Having already gone deep for the third straight game, Campbell had the chance to complete the first cycle of his young career with a triple. The right-handed hitter stepped up to the plate one final time to lead off the ninth inning but did not get much to swing at and instead drew a seven-pitch walk to put the finishing touches on a productive evening.

In three games against Asheville this week, Campbell has gone 7-for-12 (.583) with one double, three home runs, six RBIs, five runs scored, two walks, and two strikeouts. After somewhat of a slow start, he is now batting .276/.391/.569 with five doubles, four homers, 12 runs driven in, 11 runs scored, one stolen base, 10 walks, and 19 strikeouts over 16 games (69 plate appearances) for Greenville this season.

Among 87 qualified hitters in the South Atlantic League coming into play on Friday, Campbell ranks 22nd in walk rate (14.5 percent), 19th in batting average, 12th in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging percentage, third in OPS (.960), fourth in isolated power (.293), 23rd in line-drive rate (25.7 percent), 38th in swinging-strike rate (11.3 percent), and second in wRC+ (173), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Campbell has seen playing time at three different positions for the Drive so far this year. The 6-foot-3, 191-pounder has logged 65 1/3 innings at second base and 39 innings in center field and has yet to commit an error. He also started three games as Greenville’s designated hitter and has prior experience at both corner outfield spots.

Campbell, who turns 22 in June, was selected by the Red Sox with the 132nd overall pick in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech. That, of course, is the pick the club received as compensation for losing Xander Bogaerts to the Padres in free agency the previous winter.

A Georgia native himself, Campbell signed with Boston for $492,700 and made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League. He posted a .911 OPS in 22 games between the FCL and Greenville last season while helping the Drive win their first South Atlantic League title since 2017.

After spending most of the offseason in Fort Myers, Campbell entered his first minor-league spring training ranked by Baseball America as the No. 35 prospect in Boston’s farm system. He drew palpable buzz on the back fields of the JetBlue Park complex, with Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham telling The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier: “I think with the swing-decision ability that he already naturally has on top of the ability to impact the baseball, we’re looking at a guy who could be really, really impactful and continue to get better.”

Taking that all into consideration, it should be interesting to see if Campbell can keep this kind of production up and possibly make his way to Double-A Portland later in the season. In the interim, he will start at second base and bat cleanup for Greenville on Friday.

First pitch from McCormick Field is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. eastern time, though the forecast does not look particularly promising.

(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Tyler Miller named South Atlantic League Player of the Week

Red Sox corner infield prospect Tyler Miller has been named the South Atlantic League Player of the Week for the week of April 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Miller appeared in five of High-A Greenville’s six games against the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Fluor Field this past week. The left-handed hitting 24-year-old went 9-for-18 (.500) with two doubles, one home run, four RBIs, four runs scored, one walk, and zero strikeouts.

After recording just two hits in his first two starts of the series, Miller went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs on Friday. He stroked three more hits, including a solo homer, on Saturday before singling and scoring a run on Sunday to extend his hitting streak to five games.

Miller, who is repeating at High-A to begin the season after spending all of 2023 with Greenville, has gotten his 2024 campaign off to an encouraging start. The left-handed hitting 24-year-old is currently batting .305/.349/.492 with five doubles, two home runs, seven runs driven in, 11 runs scored, four walks, and nine strikeouts over 16 games (63 plate appearances) for the Drive.

Among 88 qualified South Atlantic League hitters, Miller currently ranks seventh in batting average, 33rd in on-base percentage, ninth in slugging percentage, 17th in OPS (.841), 21st in isolated power (.186), eighth in strikeout rate (14.3 percent), third in line-drive rate (32.7 percent), 34th in swinging-strike rate (11.4 percent), and 18th in wRC+ (145), per FanGraphs.

Much like Blaze Jordan, who took home Eastern League Player of the Week honors for Double-A Portland on Monday, Miller has made eight starts at both first and third base for Greenville this year. The 6-foot-1, 193-pounder has committed just one error (at third base) in 83 total defensive chances between the two corner spots thus far.

Unlike Jordan, Miller is not regarded by publications such as Baseball America as one of the top prospects in Boston’s farm system. The Alabama native was originally selected by the Red Sox in the ninth round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Auburn University. He signed with the club for $157,800 and put up strong numbers in his debut season (.934 OPS in 27 games between the Florida Complex League and Low-A Salem) but has yet to graduate past the High-A level.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Miller — who does not turn 25 until December — can keep producing the way he has for Greenville and possibly make the jump to Portland later this year. He would probably benefit from someone with a similar profile, like Jordan, earning a promotion of his own.

(Picture of Tyler Miller: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Red Sox’ Blaze Jordan earns Eastern League Player of the Week honors

Red Sox corner infield prospect Blaze Jordan has been named the Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of April 22-28, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

This marks the second consecutive week where a Sea Dogs player earned Eastern League Player of the Week honors. Left fielder Matthew Lugo was recognized for a stellar series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Hadlock Field last week.

Jordan appeared in all six of Double-A Portland’s games against the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ Park this past week. The right-handed hitting 21-year-old went 12-for-27 (.444) with four doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs, five runs scored, zero walks, and two strikeouts.

Jordan crushed his first home run of the season and drove in a game-high four runs in Tuesday’s series opener. He then pushed across two more runs on Wednesday, had three hits on Thursday, homered again on Friday, and recorded four hits over the weekend to extend his hitting streak to nine games.

Over the life of that hitting streak, which began on April 19, Jordan has batted a stout .385/.390/.461. After getting his 2024 campaign off to a slow start, he is now slashing .265/.307/.441 with six doubles, two home runs, 13 runs driven in, 10 runs scored, one walk, and seven strikeouts in 17 games (75 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs.

Defensively, Jordan has split his playing time on the field between both corner infield spots. To this point in the year, the 6-foot-1, 220-pounder has logged 60 innings at first base and 68 1/3 innings at third base. He has committed one error at each position and has also made two starts as Portland’s designated hitter.

Jordan is in the midst of his fourth full professional season after originally being selected by the Red Sox in the third round of the COVID-shortened 2020 draft out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi. The Southaven native forwent his commitment to Mississippi State by signing with Boston for $1.75 million.

Though he dealt with — and was even hospitalized by — struggles relating to anxiety and depression early in his pro career, Jordan has worked to overcome those issues, as he revealed in a heartfelt social media post last October. After going public with that information, he strove to get in better shape over the winter and came into the spring ranked by Baseball America as the No. 21 prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system.

Jordan, who does not turn 22 until December, can become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time later this year if he is not added to Boston’s 40-man roster by the protection deadline in November. Taking that — as well as the fact that he played in 49 games for Portland to close out last season — into consideration, it will be interesting to see if Jordan can make his way to Triple-A Worcester at some point in 2024.

(Picture of Blaze Jordan: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)