Boston Red Sox prospect Blaze Jordan took his latest step toward achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a big leaguer.
The 22-year-old made the leap from Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester and debuted with the WooSox — getting the start at third base — on Tuesday night. Jordan went 1-for-4 with a double, but the 2020 third-round selection’s first major swing came on Wednesday afternoon against the Rochester Red Wings, during a mid-game interview with Jordan’s parents at Polar Park.
Jordan crushed a 1-1 pitch to deep left field in the third inning to extend Worcester’s lead over Rochester to 8-0, with a solo home run. His parents relished in the moment and took a brief moment of silence during the interview to watch Jordan round the bases.
“Hard work pays off,” Jordan’s father, Chris, said with a smile, per NESN.
Worcester snagged its second straight victory in as many days with Jordan, as the young slugger finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs.
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Jordan signed with the Red Sox five years ago as a 17-year-old coming out of DeSoto Central High School in Mississippi, and received a $1.75 million bonus. Hype followed Jordan, even before going pro. He participated in the 2019 High School Home Run Derby at Progressive Field, with then-Boston star Mookie Betts in attendance, and blasted the most moonshots (20) across two rounds to secure a spot in the finals.
The Jordan household, back in Mississippi, wasn’t prepared to receive a call from Blaze just shortly after Portland manager Chad Epperson made the announcement. Epperson gathered the Sea Dogs clubhouse to celebrate Jordan’s latest career milestone, and then it was time to call Mom and Dad.
“My dad was mowing the lawn, so I was trying to FaceTime him, and it was kind of getting disconnected a little bit, and I was trying to tell him, like, what I was doing, but then he had the lawnmower on in the background,” Jordan said Tuesday, per Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram. “So I couldn’t really hear what he was saying. But he seemed really excited.”
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Jordan had been on a tear with the Sea Dogs before the organization rewarded him with a call-up to Worcester, slashing 320/.415/.513 with six home runs, 11 doubles and 37 RBIs through 44 games in Double-A. That production is on par with what Jordan has been projected to (someday) become, although injuries — he’s suffered a fractured finger and concussion in the minor leagues — have played a factor.
For now, Jordan will continue playing alongside Roman Anthony, Jhostynxon Garcia, Vaughn Grissom and a talent-filled WooSox team drawing eyes night in and night out.
Featured image via Salem Red Sox
