Spokane Indians outfielder Jordan Beck brings more than unique ‘Mike Honcho’ persona to pro game

It would be hard for a player to be hotter than Jordan Beck .

The 22-year-old Spokane Indians outfielder, and the Colorado Rockies’ first-round pick (38th overall) of the 2022 MLB draft, is pounding the cover off the ball.

Entering play Wednesday, Beck was hitting .435 (14 for 46) with eight home runs and 22 RBIs over his previous 11 games.

He added to those totals in the fourth inning Wednesday against Hillsboro with a solo homer off the scoreboard in right-center field.

His nine homers and 28 RBIs both lead the Northwest League.

Needless to say, Beck is feeling pretty good at the plate, but he doesn’t want to dwell on it.

“We’re getting some wins in and honestly, how I feel is kind of besides the point,” Beck said. “Winning games is all that really matters.”

Beck, in his first full season of pro ball, started off slowly, going 1 for 27 over his first seven games. He’s been so hot of late he has increased his season average to .289 despite the rough start.

“We just made some quick approach changes and a few mental cues that it looks like got me locked in now,” Beck said. “I’m seeing the ball well and just kind of need to keep doing that and finding good pitches swing at.”

Even during the slump, Beck had the confidence to just trust his talent and coaching.

“I kind of got myself in the right headspace in the box,” he said. “I just thought through it and tried to see what was going wrong – and then we took a step back and analyzed what was going on.”

He got help from Indians batting coach Zach Osborne and others in the organization.

“They were like, ‘Hey, this is what we see. This is what we need to change.’ ” Beck said. “I had a couple days of DH in a row where I could do some early work before (games), and we just got it dialed in.”

Clint Hurdle, the former big league manager and Rockies special assistant to the general manager, is in town this week to visit the Indians.

“We tracked (Beck) for a couple of years in college and especially we hunted him hard senior year,” Hurdle said. “We liked the makeup. We liked the man. We liked the player in the field. We liked the edge that he brings to the game.”

Beck garnered a lot of attention in college, not only for his game, but because of a unique nickname Tennessee coach Tony Vitello bestowed upon him during an in-game interview.

Vitiello called Beck “a 35-year-old man named ‘Mike Honcho,’ ” referring to the character from the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

“I just thought it was funny, No. 1,” Beck said. “Just the whole way it was set up and how my coach at school just came up with it. He’s as witty as it gets. It just became a thing.”

A thing big enough to generate some name, image and likeness income based upon T-shirt sales.

Beck said he feels he carries the “Honcho” persona with him to the park every day, but doesn’t notice when the Avista Stadium scoreboard flashes the moniker after an extra-base hit.

“I try not to look up there too much,” he said. “I’m trying to look at the (line score), so that’s what I’m more worried about.”

Beck has found the transition from college to the pros has been an adjustment of time management more than anything else.

“It’s just every day, really.” he said. “The schedule is actually a lot better in college because it’s not as fast-paced. And obviously, college is a 60-game sprint. Here you actually have time to separate weightlifting and stretching and throwing programs and things like that. So I actually think you have more time here.”

There are a lot of things about the pro life he appreciates.

“I felt like college was more of a job. You’ve got to wake up for 8 a.m. school and then get to get to the field at 1 o’clock then from 1 to 7 you’re practicing or hitting and then you’re playing a game.

“So this feels just feels like fun. I mean, I don’t really think of it as a job. It’s just kind of what I do.”

Since Beck was a draft pick last year, this was his first spring training at the Rockies’ complex in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he savored every moment of it.

“It’s a lot of being at the field every day, just trying to get your body accustomed for the full season and just working on things. I mean, it’s really just a learning process and getting your body in good shape.”

He enjoyed getting to his locker the first day and seeing the purple Rockies jersey waiting for him.

“That was nice,” he said. “I mean, I played in the (Arizona Complex League) for a little while (last season), and it’s definitely different. Sometimes I wish we would incorporate a little bit of Rockies gear outside of (the complex) one just for fun – just to feel it. But I mean, it’s good. It’s cool.”