Jordan Henry Stats & Scouting Report

Full name Jordan G. Henry
Born 06/13/1988 in Houston, TX
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 175 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Mississippi
Drafted in the 7th round (215th overall) by the Cleveland Guardians in 2009 (signed for $100,000).

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Henry was a Freshman All-American two years ago, when his brother Justin (a second baseman who is now in the Tigers farm system) was a teammate, but he struggled as a sophomore for Mississippi. He rebounded to key the Rebels offense in 2009, leading the Southeastern Conference in walks and stolen bases to earn first-team All-SEC honors. Henry earns Jason Tyner comparisons for his slap-happy, speed-oriented approach. He's patient and can spoil pitchers' chase pitches with two strikes. He's a 70 runner whose speed also plays defensively, where he's a good defender in center field. Henry has enough arm to be a fourth outfielder, which is his likely future role unless he shows an ability to impact the ball with the bat. He has hit just two homers and has just 26 extra-base hits in three seasons. He could go as high as the fourth round due to his speed and improved performance this season.

Top Rankings

Henry's older brother Justin is a Triple-A second baseman in the Tigers system, and the two were college teammates at Mississippi. More athletic than his brother, Jordan has a game built around plus-plus speed and outstanding strike zone awareness. He gets on base at a high clip because he hits for average and doesn't chase many pitches out of the strike zone. He enhances his quickness with good baserunning instincts, and he has stolen 51 bases in 58 tries in two pro seasons. He became better at doing the little things like bunting this season. Despite his 6-foot-3 frame, Henry has a contact-oriented swing with little leverage and power that grades as a 20 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has just 28 extra-base hits in 186 pro games, many of which can be attributed to his speed. More advanced pitchers may pick him apart unless he gets stronger and learns to pull the ball with more authority. Henry is a fine defender in center field, playing shallow while able to go get balls hit over his head. He has an average, accurate arm. With the Indians' outfield depth, Henry could start 2011 back in Double-A, where he batted .300 in the second half last season.

Henry's older brother Justin is a Triple-A second baseman in the Tigers organization. Jordan, who played with him in college at Mississippi, is right on his heels. He needs just two months at Kinston to earn a promotion to Double-A in his first full pro season. Henry has built his game around his well above-average speed. He's a threat to steal bags and take extra bases, and he uses his quickness to get on base. He has a contact-oriented approach and works counts, though he has very little power. He covers a lot of ground in center field, playing shallow and showing excellent ability to go back on the ball, and has an average, accurate arm.