Jordan Stephens

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #19 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Stephens had Tommy John surgery in his junior year at Rice, took a medical redshirt and rebounded to be a fifth round pick. He ranked third in the system with 139 strikeouts in 2018.
  
  Scouting Report: Stephens gets his outs with a fairly standard four-pitch arsenal, fronted by a low 90s fastball with cutter action and a mid-80s slider. He throws a mid-70s curveball and a firm mid-80s changeup as well. He throws all four from a simple, repeatable delivery that gives him average control.
  
  The Future: There has been talk in the organization that Stephens’ stuff might play better in the bullpen. In the bullpen he might fit in the seventh or eighth inning. The White Sox added him to their 40-man roster during the offseason.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #16 prospect in 2018
  Stephens stood out his sophomore year at Rice but had Tommy John surgery his junior year and took a medical redshirt. He rebounded the following year and the White Sox drafted him in the fifth round and signed him for $300,000. Stephens struck out a system-best 155 hitters in 141 innings in his first full year as a pro in 2016. Stephens' stuff and results in 2017 at Double-A Birmingham were solid but not spectacular. Stephens typically sits in the low 90s with his four-seam fastball but can bump the mid-90s on his best days. His fastball isn't particularly lively, so he added a cutter in the high-80s to his arsenal. His primary offspeed pitch is an 11-to-5 curveball with average potential. He needs more consistency with it, as it was sometimes loopy out of his hand instead of the better, tighter offering. His sparsely-thrown changeup is below-average. Some in the White Sox's organization believe Stephens' stuff might play better out of the pen, but he'll head to Triple-A Charlotte in 2018 as a starter to see if he can find more consistency.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #12 prospect in 2017
  Stephens served as a rotation stalwart at Rice as a sophomore in 2013, then needed Tommy John surgery early in his junior year. He returned to form as a redshirt junior, and the White Sox selected him in the fifth round in 2015. Stephens has a compact arm action and hides the ball well. He stays balanced over the rubber and coils his front hip with some Asian-style hesitation and gather, giving him deception and allowing the ball to jump on hitters. He typically pitches with average fastball velocity at 91-93 mph, but his velocity will vary by dipping as low as 88 at worst and then running up to 95 on the high end. Stephens has fastball command to both sides of the plate, and he can purposefully elevate to locate his heater above hitters' hands for chase swings. His upper-70s above-average curveball is his best offspeed pitch, consistently showing tight spin and deep three-quarters break. He throws a near-average slider in the low 80s that shows short, horizontal sweeping action and a below-average changeup that needs continued refinement. Stephens will progress to Double-A Birmingham in 2017, where he'll need to continue refining his control and make progress with his changeup. Some evaluators believe he could settle in as a No. 4 starter, while others see him as a quality two-pitch reliever.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #15 prospect in 2016
  Lacking second- and third-round picks in the 2015 draft, the White Sox chased the comparative safety of college pitchers. Thus Chicago made Vanderbilt's Carson Fulmer (first round), Clemson's Zack Erwin (fourth) and Rice's Stephens (fifth) its top three picks in 2015. Stephens might have joined the other two pitchers in full-season ball during his pro debut if not for the fact that he started two of the Owls' final three regionals games in 2015. He previously had missed all of 2014 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. As a result, the White Sox limited him to 11 short outings, mostly in the Rookie-level Arizona League, in which he recorded 21 strikeouts and three walks in 18 innings. Listed at 6-foot-1, Stephens nonetheless pitches with big stuff and a hard-nosed, almost angry, approach. He sits at 91-93 mph and can dial his fastball up to 96, and he backs up his plus heat with a plus curveball that ranges from 75-80 mph. He mixes in the occasional cutter/slider hybrid and a changeup, though both are below-average. The White Sox intend to begin Stephens in the rotation at high Class A Winston-Salem in 2016, but ultimately he probably fits best as a two-pitch reliever.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #285 prospect in 2015 draft
  Stephens was supposed to be Rice's Friday starter last year. Instead, he spent the year redshirting recovering from Tommy John surgery. Before the surgery, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Stephens threw a lively two-seam fastball with sink that sat 88-92 mph. This season, after his healthy return, Stephens touched 95 with his heater and sat in the 90-93 mph range. His curveball, thrown in the 75-80 mph range, was his best pitch, a true plus offering at its best, while he mixes in a low-80s slider with cutter shape and occasional changeup.

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Stephens served as a rotation stalwart at Rice as a sophomore in 2013, then needed Tommy John surgery early in his junior year. He returned to form as a redshirt junior, and the White Sox selected him in the fifth round in 2015. Scouting Report: Stephens has a compact arm action and hides the ball well. He stays balanced over the rubber and coils his front hip with some Asian-style hesitation and gather, giving him deception and allowing the ball to jump on hitters. He typically pitches with average fastball velocity at 91-93 mph, but his velocity will vary by dipping as low as 88 at worst and then running up to 95 on the high end. Stephens has fastball command to both sides of the plate, and he can purposefully elevate to locate his heater above hitters' hands for chase swings. His upper-70s above-average curveball is his best offspeed pitch, consistently showing tight spin and deep three-quarters break. He throws a near-average slider in the low 80s that shows short, horizontal sweeping action and a below-average changeup that needs continued refinement.
  
  The Future: Stephens will progress to Double-A Birmingham in 2017, where he'll need to continue refining his control and make progress with his changeup. Some evaluators believe he could settle in as a No. 4 starter, while others see him as a quality two-pitch reliever.