2023 Countdown to Spring Training: Blaze Jordan and Matthew Lugo

Physical Description: Thick, physically mature frame. Minimal remaining projection. Will have to watch his body as he gets older. Lost weight and did a much better job maintaining his conditioning as he got older in high school.

Hit: Starts square and utilizes a quick leg kick timing device. Mature approach for his age. Has bat speed. Takes a second to get going, but has quick hands and really whips his hips through during his swing. Natural feel for hit and will make pitchers pay when they make a mistake. Approach is a work in progress. Chases too often, especially against changeups. Has had trouble making contact against better pitching and against velocity, especially when up in the zone. Will always have swing-and-miss in his game. Has struggled with velocity in the mid-90s and higher as far back as the 2020 Fall Instructional League, but showed some improvement against velocity after 2022 promotion to Greenville. Potential average hit tool.

Power: Above-average in-game power potential. Natural loft in swing. Produces solid max exit velocities. Drives the ball with backspin. Has shown all-fields power and the ability to drive the ball well out of the ballpark. Plus-to-better raw power. Raw power does not have much projection, as he is already maxed out physically.

Run: Well below-average speed. Projects to get slower as he matures.

Field: Has split time defensively between third base and first base, and likely will end up at first. Showed improved agility and mobility when he lost weight. Not a natural defender at third. Lacks fluidity in the field, footwork needs work. Below-average range. Hands work much better at first base than third. Showed confidence picking balls in the dirt there and lack of range was not as much of an issue. Potential above-average defender at first base and fringe-average defender at best at third.

Arm: Above-average arm strength. Has the arm strength needed for third base. Hit 92 mph on the mound in high school.

Career Notes: Was well-known from a young age thanks to viral YouTube videos showing his power, such as one with nearly 1.5 million views in which he hit an alleged 500-foot home run at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas at age 13. As a result, is still fairly well-known nationally and gets a number of endorsement deals. Won the High School Home Run Derby at the 2019 MLB All-Star Game. Recorded the highest exit velocity of any player at the 2019 World Wood Bat Championships (106.9 mph). Attended the same high school as Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley. Was very young for his draft class after reclassifying in May 2019 from the 2021 class to the 2020 class. Committed to Mississippi State. Participated in the 2020 Fall Instructional League. Participated in the 2021 Fall Performance Program. Participated in the 2022 Winter Warm-Up. Was set to participate in the 2022 Fall Performance Program that was cancelled due to Hurricane Ian.

Summation: Potential up-and-down bench bat. Ceiling of a bat-first regular, likely at first base. Really has to hit, as he is maxed out and has a tough potential profile as a right-right first baseman. A favorite of predictive models due to his age compared to his draft class, elite exit velocities, and bat speed. Needs to show he can hit advanced pitching in order to tap into his raw power, which is his best tool. Will have to watch conditioning. Ultimate defensive position is likely first base, but has a better chance to be able to play at least part time at third base now than when he signed.