Red Sox ink 3rd-rounder Jordan, LHP Drohan
BOSTON -- Blaze Jordan hit his first tape-measure homer at the age of 11 years old at The Ballpark in Arlington, a 396-foot rocket. Two years later, the 13-year-old masher from Mississippi hit one over 500 feet at that same stadium.
On Thursday, the Red Sox officially consummated a deal with their third-round Draft pick, inking him with a $1.75 million signing bonus. Boston also signed its fifth-round pick, Shane Drohan, a left-hander out of Florida State University.
The 17-year-old Jordan hopes to one day wear out the Green Monster and the street and parking lots behind it.
As the 89th pick in the Draft, Jordan signed to an amount significantly higher than his slot value of $667,900.
The reason the Red Sox were able to do this is because they signed first-round selection Nick Yorke for $2.7 million, which was well under his slot value of $3,609,700.
Jordan, a corner infielder, received a scholarship from Mississippi State when he was 13, but he has decided to turn pro instead with one of the most prestigious franchises in baseball.
Though Jordan has always been known for his massive power, he takes pride in his overall ability as a hitter.
“When the power is the best for me is when I’m staying as simple as I can and just barreling up everything,” Jordan told MLB.com last month. “I think what helps me is I can spray the ball to all fields and I have power to all fields and I showed that in my BP rounds and showed that in the games.”
The Red Sox didn’t have a second-round selection this year as a penalty for a sign-stealing investigation by MLB, so they were pleased to get a hitter of Jordan’s caliber in the third round.
Some scouts felt Jordan had the best raw power in this year’s Draft.
“Quite frankly, we didn't think he'd make it that far in the Draft,” said Red Sox amateur scouting director Paul Toboni. “He's a unique talent. A ton of power upside with a good feel to hit.”
Jordan graduated a year early from high school so he could be eligible for the 2020 Draft.
“He really recognizes pitches early, and he's doing this all being a year younger than his counterparts, because he reclassified,” Toboni said. “Just a really exciting talent -- there's really no other way to put it. And we're really happy that he's a Boston Red Sox.”
Drohan, the club’s final selection in the 2020 Draft, is a six-foot-three, 195-pound left-hander. He made four starts this season, posting a 4.08 ERA (8 ER/17.2 IP) with 27 strikeouts. Over 26 career outings (15 starts) during his three-year career at Florida State, the West Palm Beach, Fla., native went 4-2 with a 4.76 ERA (39 ER/73.2 IP) and 99 strikeouts. Selected in the 23rd-round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, Drohan also pitched for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2019. His father, Bill Drohan, pitched within the Kansas City Royals system for four seasons from 1987-90.