Marlins Shortstop Jordan McCants Will Do Whatever It Takes To Win

Jordan McCants will do whatever it takes to win.

Even if it takes 14 straight hours.

McCants, a 19-year-old shortstop and the Marlins’ 2021 third-rounder out of Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic High, was 11 when he and his five cousins engaged in an epic and yet informal sporting event.

It started at noon with football and morphed into baseball. At night, it switched to 3-on-3 basketball, where the Pensacola street lights illuminated the bucket.

“Nobody wanted to go out a loser, so we kept playing until 2 a.m.,” McCants said. “I miss those days.”

These days, McCants is a pro who turned down Mississippi State to sign with the Marlins for $800,000.

McCants is a lefthanded hitter whose best tool is his speed. But he’s also an above-average fielder and hitter with advanced pitch-recognition skills.

As a prep senior, he hit .450 with 10 doubles, three triples, two homers and a 1.151 OPS.

His 23-game pro debut in the Florida Complex League didn’t go nearly as well. McCants hit just .224 with one extra-base hit—a double)—and one steal in three attempts.

The good news is that McCants, who is 6-foot-1, has put on 15 pounds of muscle to reach 170 pounds.

Beyond that, McCants has good bloodlines. His 20-year-old brother TJ earned Freshman All-Southeastern Conference honors last season as Mississippi’s center fielder.

Pensacola Catholic coach Seth Currie raves about the entire McCants family, especially Jordan.

“He’s a difference-maker on and off the field,” Currie said. “Everyone he comes in contact with, he makes them better.”

McCants is the type of person who sets goals and reaches them.

For example, while in high school, he took a liking to Currie’s Chevy Silverado pickup truck. When his pro debut season was over, McCants went to visit his former coach.

“He throws me a set of keys that looked a lot like mine,” Currie said. “I said, ‘Did you buy me a truck?’ He said, ‘No, but you’re going to want to drive mine.’ “