Cardinals Bet Big on Blaze Jordan, a Former Home Run Derby Phenom with 500-Foot Power
If you’ve been waiting for the St. Louis Cardinals to make a splash for the future, look no further than the deadline-day deal to trade for Blaze Jordan. Yeah, that Blaze Jordan. The teenage slugger who went viral for launching a 500-foot home run out of Texas Ranger Stadium at 13. THIRTEEN!
Just three years later, he won a High School Home Run Derby held at Cleveland Stadium in 2019 before the MLB held their Home Run Derby in the same park:
Let’s fast forward to present day. Just before the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Cardinals sent veteran lefty Steven Matz to the Boston Red Sox in a trade for corner infielder Blaze Jordan, a name that’s been lighting up prospect boards and highlight reels for years.
Why Would Boston Make that Move?
The move raised some eyebrows—Boston fans questioned giving up a bat like Jordan for a rental reliever—while St. Louis quietly grinned from ear to ear. The Cardinals didn’t just land a prospect, they grabbed a power-hitting phenomenon with serious upside.
Jordan, just 22, has spent the 2025 season absolutely raking between Double-A and Triple-A. He’s hitting .308 with 12 home runs and 62 RBIs, and he doesn’t hit for power and strike out 100 times a year. His strike out rate is a comicly low 10%. That’s elite-level plate discipline paired with jaw-dropping power.
But if you’re just now hearing about Blaze Jordan, you’re late to the party. This is the kid who, at just 13 years old, was already making national headlines for smashing two 500-foot home runs with a metal bat at the 2016 Power Showcase in Texas. Then, at 16, he won MLB’s High School Home Run Derby during 2019 All-Star Week in Cleveland, launching baseballs out of the park like a young Bryce Harper.
Now, he’s coming to St. Louis—by way of a trade that looks smarter by the minute. He’ll start out at Triple-A Memphis, but with Nolan Arenado on the injured list and the team clearly shifting toward a youth movement, don’t be shocked if Jordan gets a cup of coffee in the majors before season’s end.
Blaze Jordan isn’t just a prospect—he’s a potential middle-of-the-order bat in the making. And if that swing that wowed scouts at 13 keeps showing up at every level? The Cardinals may have just pulled off one of the sneakiest steals of the deadline.
