2010 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #43 Jordan Henry

Jordan Henry - Outfielder
Born: 06/13/1988 - Height: 6'3" - Weight: 175 - Bats: Left - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	Avg	Obp	Slg	Ops
2009	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	67	248	48	71	12	0	0	23	49	37	22	.286	.408	.335	.743
		Totals		67	248	48	71	12	0	0	23	49	37	22	.286	.408	.335	.743

History:  Henry was selected by the Indians in the 7^th round of the 2009 Draft out of the University of Mississippi.  After his sophomore season in college in 2008 he played out in the Cape Cod League in the summer and hit .335 with 0 HR and 16 RBI, and led the league in runs scored (42) and was third in stolen bases (12).  Last year as a junior at Mississippi he hit .343 with 0 HR, 31 RBI, and an .869 OPS in 63 games.  He also had an amazing 56 walk to 22 strikeout ratio.  In his professional debut at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley he finished the season ranked 1^st in the NY-Penn League in on-base percentage (.408), 2^nd in runs (48), 2^nd in walks (49), and 6^th in stolen bases (22).  His brother Justin Henry - who is three years older - is in the Detroit Tigers system and played in High-A last year.

Strengths & Opportunities:  Henry is a scrawny, lightning quick outfielder who has the ability to be a catalyst at the top of a lineup.  Speed is his greatest asset, and he profiles as a top of the lineup hitter because of his ability to battle opposing pitchers by working counts, putting the bat on the ball at a very high rate, drawing walks, stealing bases, and playing excellent defense in the outfield.  He has a very short swing with excellent bat control choosing to chop down on the ball more and pound the ball into the ground at a high rate in order to use his speed to leg out hits. He's very much the definition of a slap hitter because of his lack of strength and his approach, but is a fundamentally sound hitter where he sprays the ball to all parts of the field, is an excellent bunter, and controls the strike zone well.  He stays back on breaking balls well and is hard to fool and get the ball past him for a swinging strike.

One of the more impressive attributes of Henry is his excellent walk to strikeout ratio, which is yet another example of his advanced approach and keen eye at the plate.  The ratio shows a lot of confidence hitting late in counts, very good plate discipline, and excellent hand-eye coordination.  His excellent hand-eye coordination is a byproduct of his exposure to the game of tennis growing up where before leaving the sport as a 16-year old in order to concentrate more on baseball he was one of the top amateurs on the junior circuit.  In fact, when watching him you would say he swings the bat like a tennis racket.

Henry will never be a guy who hits a lot of home runs or piles up a ton of extra base hits, but his speed which can help offset some of those limitations in the power department.  He is very fast and has been timed in the 60-yard dash in 6.5 seconds.  He shows very good instincts on the bases, and especially shows some great acceleration out of the left-handed batters box and getting down the first base line.

In addition to Henry's speed and exceptional on-base ability, his other big strength as a player is his defense which is in a league of its own.  He has excellent range in center field and gets good jumps and runs good routes to balls.  He goes back on balls in the outfield effortlessly and glides and tracks down balls in the gap with ease.  His speed allows him to take more chances and play a shallow center field, almost daring the hitter to try and hit the ball over his head.  His arm is solid, maybe a tick above average.  While he primarily plays center field, he played some left field during Instructional League last fall.

Henry understands his role and what kind of player he is and doesn't try to be something he is not.  He could move fast because of his polish and limited upside.  That said, while the speed and defense are there it is his offense which will determine if he can become an everyday player as a leadoff hitter or just a fourth outfielder.  He needs to continue to refine his approach at the plate and get better at driving balls and turning on more pitches that he should be able to handle.  He also needs to improve his stolen base rate by learning different ways to steal bases and how to impact a game more with his legs.  He also needs to learn to be more aggressive at the plate in certain situations as sometimes he is too patient.  He also needs to get stronger which should help his ability to hit for a little more power and keep defenses honest.

Outlook:  Henry is not a power hitter by any means, so this will always hurt his prospect standing.  But if he can prove that he is more than a speedy, defensive-oriented outfielder and that his bat can translate as he moves up the minor league ladder, then he is a very good leadoff hitting prospect for the Indians.  With his ability to get on base, see pitches, work counts, create havoc on the bases, and play well above average defense, there is a ton of value there.  He has not shown he can hit the ball with enough authority to be anything more than a 4^th outfielder, which is why his excellent on-base ability needs to translate at the higher levels for him to ever become an everyday player.  This upcoming season will go a long way at helping determine whether he is everyday player material or a fourth outfielder, and he should get that chance to prove himself as the starting center fielder at advanced Single-A Kinston to start the season.

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr

Jordan Henry MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

Jordan Henry Baseball-Reference page

Jordan Henry MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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