Colorado Rockies Top 25 Under 25: No. 17: Jordan Patterson

Welcome to the BSN Denver Colorado Rockies Top 25 Under 25 where we will rank the organization’s best players who will be 25 years-old or younger on Opening Day 2017.

Our parameters for this list are may be different than others it resembles so let us be clear about them:

1. The list was created entirely by the BSN Rockies staff and had no other input from any outside sources.
2. While giving credit for overall (or trade) value, we prioritized an ability to help the MLB club win immediately.
3. In accordance with this, we also prioritized players with fewer question marks but potentially lower ceilings.
4. Statistics were considered on equal level with scouting reports in addition to our own field reporting.

Our observations come through a combination of spending parts of each of the past four (going on five) seasons on the ground on the backfields at spring training and through our regular reporting from Rookie Level Grand Junction, talking to coaches, scouts, and journalists both on and off the record. Of course, countless hours are spent on MiLB.tv and combing over public reports from other credible sources.

No. 17: Jordan Patterson, 25 (OF/1B)

BSN Denver has become a bit of a home for all your Jordan Patterson news over the last week so to keep this short and sweet (and not do too much reiterating) we will start with a link back to his appearance on our podcast where we talked about his MLB debut, his breakout 2015 in the minors, his comfort level at first base and his goals and focus moving into 2017.

Patterson, who will play the upcoming season at age 25, has an outside chance of making the Rockies Opening Day roster in a bench/utility role. Some of that will depend on whether the Rockies decide to carry four or five players on the bench (which depends on whether they want to carry seven or eight men in the bullpen) and the spring training performances of several other candidates along with Patterson’s own production at Salt River Fields.

Being drafted in the fourth round and being a bit older than the competition in the early goings of his career — not to mention sharing the outfield with names like David Dahl and Raimel Tapia — has kept Patterson a little under the radar despite having hit and hit well at every level he has played as a professional.

Since joining the organization in 2013, Patterson has put up the following wRC+ totals: 128, 121, 153, 143, 129, 151. That last 151 was for his very short stint in MLB where he threw out eight hits and two RBI over 19 plate appearances.

Last season, he dramatically increased his walk rate, taking an on base percentage that hovered around .340 and bumping it all the way up to .377. He brings a decent amount of pop, hitting 14 home runs last year and 17 the year before that and a slugging percentage that sits right around .500, typically topping 20 doubles per season.

While the power tends to come in spurts, Patterson has been a remarkably consistent player with the bat the last two years which is especially encouraging considering his defensive profile. At (at least) six-foot-four, 215 pounds, Patterson is a big strong kid with one of the best outfield throwing arms that has come through the Rockies system in a long, long time. He pairs the strength with speed, as evidenced by 64 stolen bases to 26 times caught stealing in his MiLB career, including a perfect 10/0 ratio last year.

At this point, there is little more for Patterson to prove beyond showing the world and/or the Rockies that he can be the kind of player he has always been, but against the best competition in the game. The Rockies current roster construction and his left-handedness could keep him stuck in the minors for a little while longer. His future outcomes range anywhere from solid fourth outfielder to first baseman of the future.

With his athleticism, character, drive, and IQ, Patterson has all the things you can’t teach while showing himself to be endlessly teachable. The only reason he ranks this low on our list is uncertainty about how the Rockies intend to use him, or the guys in front of him (Gerardo Parra) and is just the newest entry in the “testament to the strength of the system” case.

But we at BSN Denver would be very surprised if Jordan Patterson doesn’t get the chance to make an impact at the MLB level in 2017, and perhaps just as surprised if he doesn’t take that chance and run with it.