School: University of Tennessee; Class: Junior
Position: RF; B/T: R/R
Height: 6-3; Weight: 225
Previously Drafted: Boston Red Sox, 14th round, 2019
High School: Hazel Green High School
| Hit | Power | SB | Patience | Glove | Overall |
| 45 | 60 | 35 | 45 | 55 | 50 |
Background: Starred on the basketball court and the baseball diamond during his prep career at Hazel Green High School. Beck led the school’s hoop’s team to the state semifinals in 2018 during his All-State career. And the 6-foot-3, 225-pound first baseman / outfielder batted .500 with 16 doubles, 13 homeruns, 52 RBIs, and 60 runs scored during his senior campaign – en route to earning the Super 10 Player of the Year award. The Red Sox took a late round flier on Beck following the season, selecting him in the 14th round of the 2019 draft.
After bypassing the opportunity to join the historic organization, Beck headed to the University of Tennessee – where he immediately made an impact for the SEC powerhouse. In 16 games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Alabama-born prospect batted .275/.396/.475 with five doubles and one homerun.
Beck turned in a solid, at times phenomenal campaign, during his 2021 season: In 67 games with the Volunteers, he hit .271/.336/.523 with 16 doubles, two triples, 15 homeruns, and eight stolen bases. He spent the summer with the Harwich Mariners in the Cape Cod League, hitting .267/.377/.400 in 27 games.
This season Beck continued to make strides in his performance for the nearly perfectly built Tennessee Volunteers: in 66 games he hit .298/.391/.595 with 15 doubles, three triples, 18 homeruns, and six stolen bases.
Scouting Report: The whiff rate isn’t a red flag, per se, but it isn’t going to leave anyone warm and fuzzy. And he’s made modest – at best – improvements over the past two seasons with Tennessee. He whiffed in nearly 21% of his plate appearances in 2021 and he posted a nearly identical mark this season. 45-grade hit tool. 60-grade power. Average-ish eye at the plate. Good speed and glove to match.
Consider the following:
- Since 2011, only four SEC hitters batted between .280/.375/.575 and .310/.425/.625 in a season (min. 275 PA): Greg Deichmann, Chad Spanberger, Andre Lipcius, and – of course – Jordan Beck.
- Deichmann was a second rounder by the Athletics in 2017; Spanberger was a sixth rounder by the Brewers the same season; and Lipcius, a former Volunteer, was a third rounder by the Tigers in 2019.
Upright stance with a bit of an intimidating presence at the plate, Beck has a surprisingly short swing – especially given his size. Big time power that no ballpark can contain when he fully gets into one. It’s going to come down to the hit tool. If he makes enough contact, Beck looks like a low end middle-of-the-lineup thumper. If not, he’s got Quad-A written all over him.
Ceiling: 2.0-win player
Risk: Moderate
Grade: First Round
