Brian Jordan

Note: This page links to 1992-2006 outfielder Brian Jordan. For the strength coach of the same name, click here.

Brian O'Neal Jordan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 205 lb.
• School University of Richmond
• High School Milford Mill Academy
• Debut April 8, 1992
• Final Game September 30, 2006
• Born March 29, 1967 in Baltimore, MD USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Brian Jordan was one of the best pure athletes in baseball history. Along with his MLB career, he also played three seasons in the NFL, from 1989 to 1991, as a safety for the Atlanta Falcons.

In his prime, Jordan was a solid contact hitter with gap power and good speed, in addition to being one of the top defensive outfielders in the game. According to TotalZone's defensive assessment, from 1995 to 2001, Jordan averaged to be +18.6 runs better than the typical major-league right fielder.

Jordan peaked as a 7.0-WAR player in 1998, when he was 27 runs above average with his bat, 5 runs above average on the basepaths, and 25 runs above average in the OF (primarily playing right field). Along with Lenny Dykstra, Rickey Henderson, and Darin Erstad, Jordan is one of only four players in MLB history to hit +25/+5/+25 in those categories.

One weakness in Jordan's game was his lack of patience at the plate; he never drew more than 51 walks in any given season, only drew 40 or more twice, and was usually in the 30-walk range per 162 games. This willingness to swing at roughly 9% more pitches than the average player resulted in Jordan having a career OBP of just .333 (vs. a league average of .341) despite a lifetime .282 batting average, and made him essentially an overall average offensive performer despite an above-average .455 slugging percentage.

Another of Jordan's drawbacks as a player was his inability to stay healthy. He only played 150+ games twice, and was limited to less than 100 games in 8 of his 15 seasons. In 15 years, he missed 909 out of a possible 2365 games.

Jordan had a cameo appearance on the daytime drama "The Young And The Restless" in 2000. He was eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in 2012 but failed to receive a single vote.

Brian was born exactly 100 years after Cy Young. Young was born on March 29, 1867, while Brian was born on the same date in 1967.

Notable Achievements

• NL All-Star (1999)
• 20-Home Run Seasons: 4 (1995, 1998, 1999 & 2001)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 2 (1996 & 1999)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 2 (1998 & 1999)

Further Reading

• Gabe Lacques: "'I get no respect': How Brian Jordan is the forgotten two-sport star", USA Today, April 27, 2021. [1]

Related Sites

• Football Reference page