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Leading up to the MLB Draft, Sports Info Solutions Video Scouts will provide scouting reports on some of the top college players available.

The reports will also feature some of the customized data that we’ve tracked this season. If you have any questions about that data, you can reach out to mark@sportsinfosolutions.com.

Lightning-fast hands and thunderous raw power make Dakota Jordan one of the most captivating hitters in this year’s draft class. He has power to all fields, but struggled with strikeouts during his time in college which has left some scouts doubtful about his production at the plate.

Name: Dakota Jordan

College: Mississippi State University

Bio: R/R 6-0, 220 lbs.

DOB: 05/03/2003

Scouting Grades on 20-80 Scale

Skill Grade
Hit 40
Power 60
Run 60
Arm 50
Field 50
Future Value 50

 

Analysis:

Dakota Jordan is as intriguing as any prospect in this year’s draft class after two highly productive years at Mississippi State. He was a Day 1 contributor at State, starting 104 games across all three outfield spots.

Jordan’s an exceptional athlete who in addition to being a highly touted baseball recruit, was a three-star wide receiver recruit who was committed to playing football at Mississippi State as well. He is known for his massive raw power and electric bat speed, both of which stem from a physically mature body in a medium-sized frame.

College Career:

Jordan showed marked improvement over his two years, with significant increases in his power and run production year over year.

Year HR ISO K% BB%
2023 10 .268 25% 14%
2024 20 .317 29% 15%

Jordan burst onto the scene as a freshman, earning Perfect Game Freshman All-American honors by slashing .307/.397/.575 with 40 RBI. He followed that up with an impressive .354/.459/.671 and 72 RBI’s this year, earning third team All-American team honors in 2024. While he did make strides at the plate with his quality of contact, there still was a great deal of swing and miss, with his strikeout rate increasing to 29% in 2024.

We track college baseball data across Division I, charting as many games as we can. That allows us to use what we call our “Synthetic Statcast” tool to calculate some statistics that you normally wouldn’t be able to get.

Here’s how Jordan stacks up to some of the other premier outfield prospects in this class in hard-hit rate and barrel rate for games we’ve tracked:

Name Hard Hit % (percentile) Barrel %
Dakota Jordan 50% (98th) 13% (93rd)
Vance Honeycut 48.5% (97th) 12% (92nd)
James Tibbs 44.5% (92nd) 12% (92nd)

Stance:

Jordan sets up at the plate with a very wide base, his feet wider than his shoulders. He sinks into his legs as he waits for the pitcher, which helps him tap into the raw strength in his lower half.

He keeps his bat almost parallel to the ground as he waits for the pitcher to make his move to the plate. Once the pitcher’s hands break in his delivery, Jordan initiates his swing with a short leg kick and turns his barrel up slightly to get into his launch position. As he drifts towards the pitcher, Jordan drags his hands back to create a stretch across his midsection before firing his hands at the ball.

Jordan creates significant force and bat speed throughout his swing and as the barrel moves through the zone his lead leg straightens as he posts against it. He concludes his swing with a one-handed finish low over his left shoulder and his back foot slightly kicking out behind him.

Approach:

Jordan hunts fastballs middle-up in the zone, and with his elite bat speed he is able to turn around fastballs at any level. His aggressiveness on the fastball does leave him susceptible to breaking balls from both right- and left-handed pitchers, with a tendency to get beat by curves and sliders from right handers and changeups from lefties.

This aggressive approach and tendency to try to catch the ball out in front does lead to a lot of strikeouts. Jordan struck out over 27% of the time over his two years at Mississippi State.

His quick hands and power do allow him to make adjustments on pitches that he is fooled on and still do damage, which may lead to an adjustment in his approach at the next level. Jordan doesn’t need to sell out for the fastball to hit the ball hard, and by letting the ball get deeper, he will be able to stay on the offspeed pitches better.

Take this pitch for example. He’s able to delay his hands enough on this fastball that is way outside the zone and hammer it out to right-center field.

Defense:

Jordan isn’t an above-average outfield defender presently but has the athletic traits to become a suitable corner outfielder at the major league level. Possessing plus straight-line speed, his range will improve with more reps in the outfield as he gets more comfortable reading the ball off the bat. Coupled with an average arm, Jordan should have no problem holding down either of the corners of the outfield, with the ability to fill in at center field if needed.

Projection:

Oozing with physical tools, Dakota Jordan projects to be a power hitting corner outfielder at the major league level. He may experience some growing pains early in his minor league career as he adjusts to higher-level offspeed pitches, but his elite bat speed and strength should continue to produce loud contact as long as he makes better swing decisions.

MLB Comp: Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez

Draft projection: Between picks 15 and 30