In this ongoing series that will last most of spring training, we’re going to look at each player that will be in Major League camp with the Cincinnati Reds. Each post will have some information on the player. There will be some background information, profiling, projections, and more. To see all of the posts in the series, you can click here. Today we are going to look at outfielder Jordan Patterson.
Jordan Patterson’s Background
Acquired: 4th round, 2013 draft (Rockies). Claimed on waivers by Cincinnati in November. Non-tendered, but re-signed in December as a minor league free agent.
Born: 2/12/1992
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Height/Weight: 6′ 4″ / 227lbs
Years of MLB Experience: One.
Originally selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 4th round out of South Alabama in 2013. He worked his way up through the Rockies farm system, topping out as the Rockies #13 prospect after 2016. He would make his Major League debut that season, getting into 10 games for Colorado.
Jordan Patterson’s 2018 Season
The entirety of the 2018 season for Jordan Patterson came in Triple-A with the Rockies farm system. He got out to a slow start, hitting just .224 in April. In the 93 games that followed he turned things up to a different level. The left-handed hitter hit .287/.370/.562 in the final 368 plate appearances of the season for Albuquerque while playing first base and right field. On the 40-man roster, the Rockies did not call him up in September. He was placed on waivers after the year and the Reds picked him up, but immediately placed him back on waivers and he cleared them. He opted for free agency, but almost immediately re-signed with the Reds.
Jordan Patterson’s Playing History
When Jordan Patterson was drafted out of the University of South Alabama he signed and was sent to Grand Junction in the Pioneer League (same league that Billings plays in). He performed well, posting an .884 OPS that season. The next season was spent in Low-A in Asheville where his numbers came back to Earth a bit where he hit .278/.359/.430. The next season he split time between Advanced-A and Double-A where he hit 17 home runs and posted a .907 OPS. It was the 2016 season where he reached the Major Leagues for 10 games after a season in Triple-A with an .856 OPS. In the last two seasons in Triple-A he hit 26 home runs in each season with an OPS between .887 and .892.
Projecting Jordan Patterson for 2019
Two of the three projection systems took a stab at how Jordan Patterson would perform in 2019. Marcels is a little more friendly in both the average and on-base percentage categories than the ZiPS projection system was.
ZiPS Projections | Steamer Projections | Marcels Projections
How could Jordan Patterson fit in Cincinnati in 2019?
With the Cincinnati outfield about as crowded as it can get, it’s tough to see where Jordan Patterson could make the team out of the spring. There’s legit power in the bat for Patterson, though, and he’s always hit well in Triple-A. As the season goes along there could be an opportunity to use a guy like that off of the bench – especially if there’s an injury or a trade that opens up a spot.
Doug, thanks for sharing this write-up about Jordan Patterson. His stats show that he has clearly been a good hitter each step of the way in the minor leagues and with power. How much hitting in the California leagues has effected his stats – I am not certain. A couple things to add about him – he was a two-way player in college. (He had a FB in the 90’s). He is a natural RF due to his arm which is rated plus and is a tool the Reds are missing in the upper minors. He can also play a good 1B. He is a player that may be much greater in demand next year once Puig, Kemp and/or Dietrich are gone, or if multiple guys go down with injury this season. He has been blocked in Colorado by the likes of Blackmon, Cargo, Dahl, Parra, Holiday and Tapia over the past 2 seasons.
Born 1988? Other sites say 1992, which adds up better with him being drafted out of college in 2013. Is fielding a downside? If not looks like a really solid depth guy at the very least.
Corrected! Thanks for the heads up – not really sure what was going on there other than a good old brain fart.
Probably a platoon at first with LaValley in Louisville.