Finksburg teen set to 'Pitch, Hit and Run' at Camden Yards

Ryan Jordan will rope line drives, throw fastballs and touch home plate at Camden Yards Saturday.

The Finksburg native hopes his efforts will be rewarded with a trip to the All-Star Game.

No, Jordan isn't the Baltimore Orioles' latest prospect. The 13-year-old will be participating in the third stage of Major League Baseball's "Pitch, Hit and Run" competition. His skills already got him through local and sectional qualifying. If he can win one more round, he's headed to Kansas City, Mo., for the national finals during All-Star week, July 9-10.

"That would be awesome," he said.

Jordan's parents are excited, too, although success could cause some strife within the family when it comes to deciding who accompanies Ryan on the trip.

"I'm sure his dad will be [unhappy] - because I get to go," said Ryan's mother, Sandi Jordan, with a laugh. "If Ryan wins, we'll be sure to figure something out."

Ryan has been playing baseball since age 5, but this is the first time he has entered into the MLB youth skills competition, which is now in its 16th year. He is in the 13-14 age group.

The competition focuses on three disparate skills, all of which are important in playing the national pastime.

For the "Pitch" portion, contestants throw six pitches at a box from a distance of 45 feet. He said he successfully hit the box on three of six pitches in local qualifying and then went a perfect 6-for-6 during the sectional event.

For the "Hit" portion, contestants drive baseballs off a hitting tee into center field with each hit evaluated for distance and accuracy.

For the "Run" portion, contestants are timed running from second base to home plate.

"You have to be able to do everything, not just focus on one thing," Ryan said.

Ryan is a pitcher and third baseman on a Winfield-based team that plays in a Babe Ruth 13-year-old league. He is used to pitching from 60 feet, 6 inches, so the 45-foot toss doesn't seem like such a big deal. His parents bought him a tee to practice his swing.

The rising eighth-grader at Chapelgate Christian Academy in Marriottsville comes from an athletic family. All four of his siblings have played sports, his mother said, and father Troy Jordan has coached the three boys in baseball for years. Ryan has also worked with former UMBC baseball coach John Jancuska, she said.

Ryan signed up for "Pitch, Hit and Run" without high expectations.

"I was just going to go for the fun of it," he said. "The second time, it got a little more serious."

It figures to be even more serious Saturday, at the third stage of qualifying in Baltimore's major league ballpark.

The competition is set to run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Camden Yards and is open to the public. Just for qualifying, Ryan received two free tickets to that night's Orioles-Nationals game.

He said he has been to a few games before and is a fan of the Orioles, but don't expect him to watch a lot of their games on TV.

"It's more fun to play," he said.