Jordan Balazovic’s name had been bandied about for months now, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli couldn’t wait to finally watch the organization’s top pitching prospect in action.
Last September, when Balazovic was tardy to the club’s backup training site, Baldelli failed to make the trip to St. Paul to meet with the right-hander.
Because of how quickly Balazovic took care of the Red Sox in the eighth inning of Thursday’s 5-4 loss at Hammond Stadium, he didn’t get nearly as much attention as he should have.
A perfect frame from Balazovic ranked No. 4 in the organization by MLB Pipeline, allowed Jonathan Araz to fly out, J.D. Martinez to ground out, and Chad De La Guerra to fly out with his fastball.
Despite the fact that Balazovic’s fastball peaked out at 93.6 mph in his brief stint, it still reflects the hard work he’s put into his physique and velocity during his tenure in the Twins’ organization.
It was reported earlier this offseason that the 6-foot-5, 217-pound pitcher was lagging behind fellow top pitching prospect Jhoan Duran, who trained at the other site for the whole 2020 season.
Although he has yet to see hitters in another uniform since the Minor League playoffs of ’19, Balazovic’s improvement should have him on schedule to reach Minnesota by next season at the latest.
How Tall Is Jordan Balazovic?
Jordan Balazovic stands at a height of 1.96 m.