Philadelphia’s first-round pick in the June 1983 draft, Jordan was called up in mid-1988 when Von Hayes went on the DL. He won the first base job (with Hayes moving to the outfield on his return) by hitting .308 with 11 homers in 273 at-bats. In 1989, his only full season as the Phillies’ regular first baseman, he hit .285 with 12 homers and 75 RBI despite an injury early in the season.
Jordan (not to be confused with Ricardo Jordan, who pitched for Philadelphia in 1996) stayed with the Phils until the players’ strike hit in 1994, but mostly in a reserve role. He always had trouble against right-handed pitching, and never had enough power to win an everyday job. In 1992, the Phillies briefly used him in the outfield, but the experiment was abandoned after a few weeks. Troubled by shoulder injuries late in his career, he called it quits after a brief stint as Paul Sorrento’s platoon-mate at first base in Seattle in 1996.
