Jordan, Angels prospects light up radar gun during Spring Breakout

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Despite being just 20 years old, right-hander Dylan Jordan displayed an impressive feel for pitching while showing off electric stuff in his start against Guardians prospects in the third annual Spring Breakout on Thursday.

Jordan, ranked as the Angels’ No. 11 prospect by MLB Pipeline, turned heads by throwing two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He walked one but didn’t give up a hit while his fastball reached as high as 97.7 mph in a 4-2 loss at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

“It was great,” Jordan said. “Just the opportunity to face these guys and play for this team was just awesome.”

The Angels have gone heavy on college pitchers in recent Drafts, but took Jordan in the fifth round of the 2024 Draft out of Viera High School in Melbourne, Fla. He signed for over slot value at $1.25 million and made his professional debut last season.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder had a strong year in the Minors, posting a combined 2.36 ERA with 85 strikeouts and 30 walks in 76 1/3 innings between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Single-A Inland Empire. His stock improved with his showing at Single-A, as he dominated in seven starts down the stretch with a 0.94 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings despite being nearly three years younger than his average competition.

“It was just having the mentality of not being scared of the better competition,” Jordan said. “And kind of the same plan going in every game, just attacking guys and not backing down and limiting walks and stuff like that.”

He faced a solid lineup of Guardians prospects that included No. 66 overall prospect Angel Genao, No. 89 overall prospect Ralphy Velazquez and No. 99 overall prospect Cooper Ingle, but Jordan overpowered Cleveland’s prospects with his sinker, slider and curveball combination.

The righty began his outing by striking out Kahlil Watson with a 2-2 sinker that registered at 96.4 mph before walking Ingle on five pitches. But he bounced back to strike out Velazquez and Milan Tolentino with a pair of sinkers both above 95 mph.

In the second, Jordan pitched around an error by third baseman Gabriel Davalillo (Cleveland's No. 6 prospect) and helped his own cause by picking off Alfonsin Rosario at first base with a nice move. He then struck out Jaison Chourio, the brother of Brewers star Jackson Chourio, on a 3-2 sinker that just caught the bottom outside corner of the zone.

“Trying to pound the zone, get ahead against these guys was the plan going in,” Jordan said. “Struggled a little bit with the slider and the changeup, but the fastball was working, so that was good.”

Snead, Cortez and Victor flash big velocity

Right-hander Nate Snead (Angels No. 20 prospect) opened some eyes during his time in Major League camp this spring and threw two scoreless innings in relief. He struck out two, walked two and gave up one hit. Snead, the club’s third-round pick in last year’s Draft out of the University of Tennessee, showed off his big arm Thursday as his fastball reached as high as 100.5 mph. That velocity could factor into the big league bullpen at some point this season.

Right-hander Chris Cortez (No. 13) was converted to a starter last year after being selected in the second round of the 2024 Draft after serving as closer at Texas A&M. But he pitched in short stints this spring, which could indicate a move back to relief. He walked two in his one inning of work but struck out three, as his fastball touched 98.9 mph and paired it with a sweeper and slider.

Righty Najer Victor made a name for himself when he struck out Team USA stars Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Gunnar Henderson for Team Great Britain in the World Baseball Classic. He’s not among the club’s Top 30 prospects, but he built on that Classic outing with a scoreless eighth that included two strikeouts and a heater that reached 98.3 mph.

“I said it earlier in camp, but we have a lot of guys nobody is talking about and this year they really have a chance to put themselves on the map,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “So I think it’s pretty cool for them and I’m excited about it.”