Rowdey Jordan, Photo by Ed Delnay of MMN
Rowdey Jordan, OF
B/T: S/R Ht: 5’10 Wt: 190 LBS
Age: January 27, 1999 (22 years old)
Acquired: Mets 11th round draft pick (Mississippi State)
2021 Stats (St. Lucie): .229/.333/.294, 4 2B, HR, 13 RBI, 2 SB, 3 CS
What is age but a number anyways, right?
Well, to baseball scouts and front office analysts, it does hold plenty of import. The data and experience bears out that the older an amateur or minor league player is, the less likely there is room for either physical or skills projection.
So for Rowdey Jordan, who will be 23 when he reports to his first professional spring training, some will definitely stack the odds against him. But for context, Jordan was drafted as a senior off of the College World Series champion Mississippi State Bulldogs roster due to the fact that he lost most of his junior season to the COVID-19 shutdowns. A lot of prospects face this same situation and will have to buck against the models that hold it against them.
Jordan, for all of his consistent statistical success in the SEC, also faces questions about whether his physical tools can make an impact at the highest level. While Jordan boasts an excellent slash line at Mississippi State (.323/.417/.546 in 2021), scouts see a possible utility/bench OF profile.
The #Mets 11th round pick is do-everything outfielder Rowdey Jordan from the CWS champs. Switch-hitter, good athlete, patient at the plate, bat-speed a tad suspect https://t.co/59YGnGagIk
— Keanan Lamb (@keananlamb) July 13, 2021
Okay, so there are some things working against Jordan, but it wasn’t too long ago that an older Mississippi State outfielder was drafted by the Mets with similar questions about the impact of offensive tools at the next level. That prospect actually went to Double-A last year and turned some heads with his burgeoning ability to hunt specific pitches and hit them out of the park: CF Jake Mangum.
Jordan is not quite the defensive stalwart Mangum is, but he has enough speed, runs good routes. and gets good jumps to project to handle center field long-term. Okay, asset #1. Keep going.
Jordan’s ability to work counts and general strike zone awareness is actually better than Mangum’s at this same stage. Enabled by a small load and short linear swing, Jordan should be able to consistently barrel professional pitching as he moves up the ladder. Solid-average hit tool and approach? Asset #2.
So is this going to work after all? Well, fringe bat speed, for one, could be a concern not just in terms of power development, but even compromising of the hit tool against top velocity at the higher levels.
But while bat speed was once thought to be mostly inherent, dependent on wrist strength and/or the ability to generate rotational torque, modern instruction involves training for improving bat speed. In fact, the Mets hired Collin Hetzler out of Driveline last winter, and we talked here about his experience training with specialized bats that are designed to promote increasing bat speed.
This kind of potential to develop bat speed, as well as looking at the success Mangum had hunting specific pitches he could pull in the air, and there is no need to count out Rowdey Jordan’s ability to impact the baseball consistently just yet.
Is his developmental timeline and task going to be easy? Absolutely not. But in the 11th round, there are sufficient skills and proof of success already in place here to suggest a solid bench outfield contributor at the major league level is possible. The clock is ticking, and Jordan and the Mets will look to continue their hard work.
