Player Profile: Jordan Patterson

   

     Jordan Patterson is a 6’5” 205 lb. Outfielder who plays his college baseball for the University of South Alabama Jaguars from the Sun Belt Conference. He is extremely polite and well-mannered. I have enjoyed talking to him throughout the summer. This past year he batted .323 (2nd on team) through 56 games and 217 at-bats (1st on team). He hits 15 doubles (led team, 9th in Sun Belt), 1 triple (2nd on team), 8 home runs (1st on team), drove in 44 runs (led team), and was 3rd in the Sun Belt in hit-by-pitches (17). He posted an impressive .938 on-base plus slugging (9th in conference in slugging and OBP). The end of his successful year was capped with a Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference Selection. For the Bourne Braves he is hitting .263 with 5 doubles, 1 home run, and 8 RBIs. However, do not let these numbers fool you. Jordan merely started slow, he is currently on a 9 game hitting streak. In fact, he has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games, and has collected 22 total hits in that span. In those 17 games he has raised his batting average 84 points (.179-.263) and his OPS 247 (.470-.647)! Jordan is hitting his stride at exactly the right time, for the Braves playoff push.

      Patterson is a strong-armed (major league level), athletic outfielder, who covers massive ground out in centerfield. He gets good jumps off the bat, closes quickly, and takes away hits. He has been an anchor defensively and should be brought into the argument of “gold-glove” caliber Cape League outfielders. As for hitting, he is a rhythm hitter who took a while to make the proper adjustments. He shifts his weight back smoothly, and implements a soft toe-tap to set his hands. His hands take a nice path to ball and he ends with a big finish. I think Jordan is an excellent runner but his long backswing prevents him from running any impressive times to first base. At the point of contact, Jordan had some problems getting out on his front font and letting the ball travel deep enough, early in his season. He stayed mentally tough throughout his early season struggles. I saw him constantly out near the bullpen taking extra swings off the tee. Now those problems are past him, and he is raking. In fact, I think every pitcher should fear the thought of Jordan getting those long arms extended on a fastball. While I think he will benefit from adding muscle, he shows the ability of an extremely gifted hitter (spray chart below). With his defensive tools, refined swing mechanics, and continued development; Jordan should gather a great deal of draft attention.