New St. Louis Cardinals prospect ‘super pumped’ for Memphis homecoming
When the standings and standard of play made it clear that 2023 was going to be a year the St. Louis Cardinals surrendered at the trade deadline, the returns they prioritized brought in players with relatively short distances to move to the big leagues in hopes they could contribute to a near-immediate rebound.
That was much less the case in 2025, as four of the six prospects they acquired at the deadline in exchange for three relievers were sent to High-A, years away from the big leagues. A fifth, reliever Skylar Hayes, has 8 ⅓ innings’ worth of experience in Triple-A, and those have included 16 earned runs.
For Cardinals fans, then, Blaze Jordan is the closest they’re going to come to immediate gratification. The righty slugger, who plays at both corners of the infield, has started just 1-for-14 as he gets settled in with the organization for whom he grew up rooting in suburban Memphis, but the hit tool seems certain to arrive shortly in much the same way it has at every level he’s touched on the way up the ladder.
“I always thought it was super cool to be able to come to games and watch the guys play and everything,” Jordan told the assembled media at AutoZone Park in Memphis on Wednesday evening. “It’s kind of surreal to be able to play. Never would I have dreamed - I thought I might play as a visitor or something. It’s pretty cool for it to be my home ballpark now.”
Jordan was born and raised in Southaven, Miss., just about as close to the state line between Tennessee and Mississippi as it’s possible to be, and about a dozen miles from where the Redbirds call home. The local product and graduate of DeSoto Central High School was drafted by the Boston Red Sox (headed then by Chaim Bloom) in 2020 and began a laborious climb through their minor league system.
That was not, however, the first time Jordan found himself fully on scouts’ radars. His prodigious power as a child saw him invited to a number of industry showcase events, and as a young teenager – and even before – he was barreling up balls in home run derby contexts in Major League parks.
Video abounds on the internet of Jordan, then just 13 years old, crushing two separate 500-foot home runs at Globe Life Park, the former home of the Texas Rangers. Batting practice or not, aluminum bat or not, there are simply not many players of that age – or of any age – who can flash that sort of damage.
The tools come with excitement, but also expectations. Growing up and learning to be a well-rounded player with YouTube stardom lingering in the background is a complicated proposition, and as Jordan has grown through the minors, his development has borne him out to be slightly more contact oriented, avoiding strikeouts and flirting with .300 batting averages. Not that the power tool has completely faded, of course.
“It was definitely a lot tougher when I was younger with all the expectations and everything,” Jordan admitted. “But I feel like those experiences kind of helped me once I got into pro ball and everything. But especially when I was a young kid, 13 to 14, I put a lot of pressure on myself. I didn’t really enjoy being a kid as much, like I should have. But I feel like that’s where it got me today.”
Already his arrival has caused the Cardinals to shift around some roster pieces in order to accommodate his rise. Luken Baker, the all-time Memphis franchise leader in home runs, was placed on waivers earlier this week and claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, opening up a nearly-uncontested spot at first base for Jordan.
Outlook for Blaze Jordan
While Jordan made his Redbirds debut at third base – and he has split time almost evenly between the corners this season – he hasn’t touched that spot since. The Cardinals do not lack for glove-forward options to cover third, and indeed, top prospect JJ Wetherholt also recently received his first start at the spot since he was a freshman in college as the team continues to mull how best and most immediately he fits into their future.
Jordan will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and seems likely to be protected by the Cardinals on their 40-man roster, giving him all the time he needs to grow into the organization and become a productive hitter who can provide timely thump. That archetype has been sorely missing from the Cardinals’ bench in recent years, especially from the right side, and having a trustworthy hitter to take at bats which might actually put some hesitation into opposing bullpens is a valuable tool.
In the meantime, for the first time as a professional, Jordan can be at home when he’s at home, and he’s grateful for being able to spare his family extended road trips across the northeast to see him play. As a truly homegrown Memphis success story, the Cardinals have the added benefit of returning some support to a baseball community which has supported them for the previous decades, and now has one of their own to lean on.
“I was just super pumped,” Jordan said of getting the call that he’d be headed home. “I immediately called my family and stuff, told all my buddies and everything. A lot of my friends are Cardinals fans, so they were all super excited.”
Perhaps, soon enough, they’ll be willing to gear up for a somewhat shorter road trip north.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
