Jays From the Couch Will Review Seasons Of Many, Hopefully, Most, Of The Toronto Blue Jays Prospects. Not Just The Top Prospects.
Jordan Groshans
Drafted in the 2018 Draft in the 1st round out of Magnolia, TX. Groshans split his rookie season between the GCL and Bluefield. In 37 games with GCL, Groshans hit 12 doubles with 4 HR while batting .331 and .890OPS. He finished with 11 games with Bluefield, hitting a double and HR but batted just .182.
He graduated from Bluefield to Lansing in 2019 but lost most of the season with a fractured foot. But in 23 games, he made an impression by hitting .337 with a .909OPS. He also collected 6 doubles and 2HR.
Month-By-Month
Jordan Groshans opened the season with a .240/.333/.340 month of May. In 13 games, he collected 2 doubles and a home run while walking 7 times with 16 strikeouts.
In June, Groshans seemed to get his footing in AA by going 23-for-83 in 20 games. The 22-yr-old collected 6 doubles and 4 home runs, driving in 17RBI. He quietly slashed .277/.333/.494 for a .827OPS. The young infielder put together a pair of small hit steaks lasting 6 gms and 4 gms.
Another 20 games played in July, Groshans collected 6 more doubles but he went homerless. Despite the lack of over-the-wall power, Jordan worked 10 walks, striking out 13 times for a .333BA and .425OBP thanks to an 8 game hit streak which pushed his season batting average from .268 to .297.
The 6-foot-3 right-handed batter played 21 games in August. He only hit 2 home runs but collected 9 doubles. He walked 10 times while striking out 16 times and for the third straight month, he posted an OPS greater than .800 with a .828. Jordan finished with a .284BA and .359OBP. Jordan put together another 8 game hit steak.
At the End Of the Day
An overall lack of power (.158ISO) put a damper on Jordan Groshans 2021 and negatively impacted his prospect stock. But after missing the majority of 2019 due to injury and all of 2020 due to COVID, we may want to show some patience.
In 75 games, Jordan finished with a .291BA, .367OBP, and 450SLG for a .817OPS. Luck may have positively impacted his stats with a healthy .347BABIP. Luck or not, his overall offensive production was above league average, posting .360wOBA and 124wRC+. He collected 23 doubles and 7HR while scoring 46 runs and driving in 40.
He finished with a 10.8BB% and 19.3K%, walking 34 times with 61 strikeouts. Groshans split his GB (39.7%) and FB (40.7%) equally but his 8.0 HR/FB was something that needs to improve.
Best Game
The 22-yr-old infielder produced five 3-hit games, three games with two doubles, and eleven games scoring two runs. On June 25th, Jordan went 2-for-4 against the Baysox, scoring 2 runs, hitting 2 home runs, and driving in 6RBI while walking once and striking out once.
In the Field
Jordan split his time in the field playing 3B (21GP) and SS (43GP). He committed 7 errors at the hot corner, finishing with a .863FPCT. As a shortstop, Groshans committed 5 errors, finishing with a .960FPCT.
Looking Ahead
TBH I held off writing Jordan’s YIR because I didn’t think he’d still be with the club. I’d rather he not be traded but there is that “give up quality, to get quality” when trying to improve your team.
I’d like to see the organization hammer down one position for their 3rd ranked prospect. Third base is an area of need; however, his lack of over the fence power doesn’t fit. A from catcher to 3rd for top prospect Gabriel Moreno could put a wrinkle in those plans. With Bo Bichette entrenched at SS, he would be blocked for years to come which makes him trade bait. Not a bad thing.
Could he fill the hole at 2nd base? Sure but this doesn’t seem to be an option right now.
Regardless of which position Groshans plays in 2023, it will be as a member of the Buffalo Bisons.
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