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Post by jbuttah on Jun 18, 2023 12:57:20 GMT -5
The numbers are the numbers, his swing just looks a little long to me.
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Post by fdrnewdeal on Jun 18, 2023 14:36:46 GMT -5
I just read an article on Blaze. For the month of June Blaze is now batting .333/.429/.563, and for the whole season is batting .315/.368/.516 with 18 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, 42 RBIs, 18 walks, 36 strikeouts in 242 plate appearances. Other notable stats in the South Atlantic League he ranks second in total bases (113), 3rd in extra base hits (27), 4th in batting average, 8th in slugging, 9th in OPS, 16th in isolated power, and 3rd in strikeout rate. Do people think he could be propelling himself into top 100 prospect status? With Devers locking down 3rd, and Casas given the chance to lock down 1st I’m not sure what his future holds on the Sox, maybe something like a Justin Turner role. That’s if he can keep on progressing. I’m curious what people think of Blaze at this point? The podcast speaks about Blaze a lot. I hope the below is a pretty good summary of a lot of fantastic commentary by Ian and Chris: Blaze Jordan was always likely going to hit well in the low minors. He has some really good offensive tools for a guy his age, that will show up great against age-appropriate competition. The reasons why he's not a top 100 talent, as of now are as follows: - The real test for someone with his background will be AA. A lot of guys with plus raw strength and some understanding of how to hit will crush the lower minors. He could be a less extreme (younger) version of Niko Kavadas, just too polished a hitter for the lower minors, but likely to be exposed in AA
- He is a right-handed first base-only prospect. For him to be a major league contributor he doesn't just have to hit well. He has to hit exceptionally well.
- There have been some warning signs about his offensive upside beyond the boxscore. While improved from 2022, he still has some trouble versus velocity. Also, while he doesn't strike out a ton, he does swing and miss more than you'd like to see. AS he moves up the ladder and faces pitchers who don't make mistakes as frequently than what you see in A and high A, those swings and misses could lead to a lot of wiffs
To be clear, I like Jordan. I think it's fair to say a lot of evaluators like him as well. It's just that he's path to being an everyday regular in the MLB is incredibly narrow. So far, he's walking that path and that's great, but there are a lot of miles ahead for him to travel. We aren't going to know if he really has a chance to be a special bat until he faces pitchers who actually know what they're doing. T If he's merely 10% than league average as a major leaguer, that's a pretty fungible player. He needs to excel as a hitter to be a major league hitter.
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Post by ixnayexxus on Jun 18, 2023 14:42:46 GMT -5
If Blaze played an adequate corner outfield, I have no doubt he would have snuck into the top 100
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Post by bosoxnation on Jun 20, 2023 23:37:18 GMT -5
Can everyone agree it’s time for a promotion? Or put him in the corner outfield for some practice!?
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Post by costpet on Jun 21, 2023 6:21:32 GMT -5
He's pretty much blocked going forward at 1B and 3B. He needs some outfield time.
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badfishnbc
Veteran
Doing you all a favor and leaving through the gate in right field since 2012.
Posts: 413
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Post by badfishnbc on Jun 21, 2023 12:35:48 GMT -5
Good time to remind everyone that Blaze is a week younger than Mayer.
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Post by rhswanzey on Jun 21, 2023 13:41:05 GMT -5
Do they really need to be fiddling with position changes at this stage? He's going to have his hands full enough with the AA jump at some point. I think he needs to consolidate some gains and sink/swim at the plate in high minors before seeing if, say, there's enough arm and power to justify having him fudge it as a below average RF or something.
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Post by julyanmorley on Jun 21, 2023 15:10:24 GMT -5
Blaze can't run, he's not playing the outfield. I think he's becoming a pretty solid defender at first
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Post by ematz1423 on Jun 21, 2023 15:27:26 GMT -5
I'm not really sure what to make of Blaze, when drafted his calling card was said to be his power which he certainly has from some videos of ABs he's had and yet to date he's not been the biggest of SLG% guys. His average and OBP have been much higher than I'd expected though and his K% hasn't been bad at all. The power is probably going to be there but I don't know the fact he's probably a 1st/DH only type of guy at this point, I'm not saying I want to give him up for a mediocre RP but I think I'd be okay if he were included in a trade package.
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Post by bcsox on Jun 22, 2023 13:07:30 GMT -5
How do we correlate a lot of swing and miss in his game with a low K%? Potentially an advanced 2 strike approach for a young kid?
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Post by James Dunne on Jun 23, 2023 7:44:32 GMT -5
How do we correlate a lot of swing and miss in his game with a low K%? Potentially an advanced 2 strike approach for a young kid? The swing and miss problems are out of the zone. His contact rates in the zone are quite good, which bodes well if he can build up his discipline. Right now he's swinging at strikes early in the count, and while he's often making contact he'd be better served in those cases to wait for a pitch he can truly punish later in the count. He's still just not seeing enough pitches right now to tap into his power.
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nomar
Veteran
Posts: 10,824
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Post by nomar on Jun 23, 2023 10:37:48 GMT -5
How do we correlate a lot of swing and miss in his game with a low K%? Potentially an advanced 2 strike approach for a young kid? The swing and miss problems are out of the zone. His contact rates in the zone are quite good, which bodes well if he can build up his discipline. Right now he's swinging at strikes early in the count, and while he's often making contact he'd be better served in those cases to wait for a pitch he can truly punish later in the count. He's still just not seeing enough pitches right now to tap into his power. Yeah he’s one big hurdle away from looking like a good bat long term and that’s chase rate. Walk more, and whiff less by not expanding the zone. I would also prefer a bit more loft here, but wouldn’t want to tinker too much with something that isn’t broken. With his body type I find it hard to see him playing anywhere but 1B, but it’s not like Boston has a long term DH at the moment either and they could always use some righty power.
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Post by ramireja on Jul 22, 2023 10:47:07 GMT -5
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Post by ematz1423 on Jul 22, 2023 11:00:52 GMT -5
Is this guy underrated around here? I have a hard time getting a gauge on him. We know he's got awesome raw power. The question was the potential for high swing and miss and K rate but clearly that has not been an issue for him. He gets the bat on the ball better than what I'd expect based off his early scouting reports.
Yes he's likely a 1st base only guy and it's just hard for those types to be rated highly unless they absolutely mash but he's a guy the more I see his stats the more intrigued I get.
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Post by huskies15 on Jul 24, 2023 9:11:53 GMT -5
On the most recent pod, Jim Callis said he doesn't know what to make of Blaze either. Seems just like a profile scouts and prospect prognosticators struggle to value. He's definitely interesting since the hit tool seems pretty advanced for 20.
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Post by bentossaurus on Jul 24, 2023 10:54:07 GMT -5
Blaze definitely intrigues me, he reminds me of Billy Butler, who was also a difficult one to evaluate. With his profile he’ll have to prove it at every level and then some.
Love me some Country Breakfast.
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Post by bosoxnation on Sept 6, 2023 1:29:46 GMT -5
AB-1013 AVG-.294 HR-36 RBI-176 SB-8 OPS-.834
All before the age of 21. Impressive
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tedf
Rookie
Posts: 79
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Post by tedf on Sept 6, 2023 9:14:35 GMT -5
He made the jump to AA without striking out a ton, so that is promising! Still has a ways to go in his development. Teel could start 2025 in the majors, but tough to see Jordan making it until 2026. Of course Teel is also a year older, so...
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Post by Addam603 on Oct 1, 2023 19:31:12 GMT -5
A good day to be reminded that baseball is more than just a game and that there are real stories behind the men on the field. I hope Blaze is getting the support that he needs.
*if anyone knows how to make the posts actually show up since the name went from Twitter to X, that’d be great*
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Post by benogliviesbrother on Oct 1, 2023 19:34:56 GMT -5
A good day to be reminded that baseball is more than just a game and that there are real stories behind the men on the field. I hope Blaze is getting the support that he needs. * if anyone knows how to make the posts actually show up since the name went from Twitter to X, that’d be great*Just change the "x" in the link to "twitter."
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Post by sittingstill on Oct 1, 2023 19:59:37 GMT -5
I am enormously grateful any time anyone in the sport talks about anxiety and depression.
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Post by Guidas on Oct 2, 2023 10:43:46 GMT -5
A good day to be reminded that baseball is more than just a game and that there are real stories behind the men on the field. I hope Blaze is getting the support that he needs. * if anyone knows how to make the posts actually show up since the name went from Twitter to X, that’d be great*Just change the "x" in the link to "twitter." God bless. Releasing this info must've been difficult for him, but I'm sure it will help others.
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cdj
Veteran
Posts: 14,053
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Post by cdj on Oct 2, 2023 11:15:18 GMT -5
Tough kid, I appreciate him going public with it. It could hopefully help him too knowing he has a ton of support and he’s not going through these things alone.
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Post by ixnayexxus on Oct 2, 2023 13:08:56 GMT -5
As someone who dealt with depression for years in the past, I had convinced myself that seeking help was a big sign of weakness and decided to keep everything locked away inside; I would constantly tell myself that I had no reason to feel the way I did, but nonetheless my chest would become heavy at times and my body would occasionally just lock up against my will. My mentality would cause me to gradually alienate friends and family and spend most of my days off in bed; contrary to what many believe, feelings of sadness tend to not be the most prevalent in this state (at least in my experience), in fact, what I felt more than anything was nothing, just emptiness.
I only decided to finally seek help when it become practically impossible to sleep because I'd be laying in bed at night and my mind would begin taking me to some dark places, and my chest would tighten to the point that it was hard to breathe.
What I guess I'm trying to say is that getting help is not at all a sign of weakness, but rather it's probably the most courageous thing a person can do in that circumstance. I appreciate Blaze going public with this, and I'm definitely rooting for him going forward.
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Post by ephus on Oct 2, 2023 13:29:24 GMT -5
Huge respect and admiration to Blaze for doing this. Discussing mental health challenges and experiences helps normalize getting help. And this is so, so important. As ixnayexxus says convincing yourself to get help is absolutely NOT weakness. It takes incredible strength. So, if you have been thinking about it, give it a shot. You got this.
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