Top Prospect Rankings June Update: Blaze Jordan Joins The Top 20, Payton Tolle On The Rise

With the Talk Sox new top 20 prospect update, we have one newcomer to talk about. Due to a strong start to the season at Double-A Portland and keeping stride into the summer at Triple-A Worcester, Blaze Jordan finds his name on the top 20 as the 19th-best prospect in the farm system. 

Jordan was one of the most sought-after high school draft prospects in 2020 due to the elite power he demonstrated at a young age, as well as his reclassification from the 2021 draft, making him one of the youngest prospects in the class. His strong commitment to Mississippi State led to several teams passing on him, but the Red Sox felt strongly enough about him to sign him over-slot by more than $1 million. Although he's in his fifth season of minor league baseball, he's still only 22 and doesn't turn 23 until December. With that being said, he's still right on track despite a fairly slow start to his professional career compared to expectations. 

The calling card for Jordan is the power, but he has become a more dynamic hitter throughout his minor League career. He's a bit of a free swinger, which isn't always conducive for a power hitter like Jordan, but he has managed to keep his contact rates around league average even as he has advanced into the upper levels. He has also shown he can tone back the swing-happy approach when needed and draw his walks. The overall approach will likely need to be adjusted to help him reach his full potential as a power hitter. 

Jordan does produce some of the top exit velocities in the Red Sox farm system, but it's more of a line drive approach. He sprays the ball across the field very well, yielding plenty of extra-base hits. He does hit the ball on the ground at an above-average rate, so a tweak in the swing might be another adjustment on the horizon to help him reach his ceiling. With the consistent hard contact he makes, he can become a dangerous hitter if he gets the ball in the air enough. 

Jordan has become a better athlete as he has matured physically and gotten in better shape. He has split time between third base and first base throughout his pro career, and will likely stick at first long-term, although he does have some feel for the hot corner. At the moment, Jordan looks like he may end up being a platoon corner infielder and DH in the big leagues, but he has the upside to be a solid everyday player if the Red Sox lean into what the bat is capable of. 

Notable Risers

Payton Tolle made the biggest jump on the ranking, going from number 13 all the way to number six. He comes in as the second-ranked pitcher, only behind Luis Perales, who moved into the top five. A strong month of May for Tolle really showcased what makes him a promising pitching prospect. In 23 innings across five starts, he struck out 37 batters while allowing just four walks. As he has begun throwing deeper into starts with improved command and an obvious ability to miss bats, Tolle is proving he can stick as a starter as he advances through the minors. His fastball is arguably the best in the system and is complemented by two different sliders as well as a solid changeup. 

Aside from Blaze Jordan, Miguel Bleis was the position player who climbed the most, as he rose from 19th to 16th in this edition of the top 20. The 21-year-old toolsy outfielder is having a career year at High-A Greenville. He has tapped into his game power, having now hit ten home runs on the season in 51 games compared to his 11 in 95 games a year ago. His plus defense in center field, as well as the ability to steal 30+ bases in any given season, takes pressure off the bat to perform, so any improvements in his game at the plate will only help him climb the rankings even faster. 

Notable Fallers

Although David Sandlin has flashed some big league tools on the mound, they are struggling to translate them to in-game success. That has resulted in him dropping from 11th to 13th in the latest edition of the top 20. Through ten starts on the season, his numbers are respectable, but they're trending in the opposite direction from last year. He's 24 in Double-A and not striking out as many batters as he was last year while issuing more walks. He still has several above-average offerings that he can lean on, which sets a relatively high floor for him and keeps him in the top 20 as an arm the Red Sox may be able to utilize in the future.

Yophery Rodriguez's Red Sox tenure since coming over from the Brewers via trade has been off to a bumpy start as he dropped from 15th to 17th on the ranking. He's still only 19 years old in High-A, so there's obvious upside, but the bat has struggled to come around. In 234 plate appearances since joining the org, he owns a .179/.312/.291 slash line. He's drawing walks over 15% of the time, which is promising at the High-A level, but he's still having a hard time finding the power stroke and the feel to hit. There's certainly time for Rodriguez, and there's more projection in his frame, but given he's not expected to stick in center field long-term, you would like to see the bat start to play a little more. 

Interested in learning more about the Boston Red Sox's top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!