Jordon Adell Brings Upside To Angels

Jordon Adell (photo by Tomasso de Rosa)

The Angels chose what they think is “a potential franchise player” in the first round of the 2017 draft, selecting Jordon Adell, a dynamic high school outfielder from Louisville with the 10th overall pick.

“You never know with these kids what their true ceiling is, but he has the ability, the makeup and the intangibles to reach that,” scouting director Matt Swanson said. “I know putting that expectation on him is pretty high, but we also value him as someone who could reach it some day.”

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Adell may have the best combination of power, speed and arm strength in the draft. The Ballard High product, who bats and throws righthanded, runs a 6.4-second 60-yard dash, can hit 450-foot home runs with a wood bat and makes laser-like throws from the outfield.

The Angels scouted Adell more than any other player in the draft and brought him to Anaheim for a workout in early June. Swanson didn’t feel like he could pick a more seasoned college player over Adell, even though it may take Adell longer to reach the majors.

“Ultimately, you have to take a player who has that type of upside,” Swanson said. “He’s a player who potentially could be a perennial all-star. A lot of us felt comfortable with that as his ceiling.”

Draft success is critical for the Angels to rebuild a farm system that is one of the worst in the game. The Angels have not spent lavishly in Latin America, and they forfeited their 2012 and 2013 first-round picks to sign Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton.

Adell hit .562 with nation-leading 25 homers.

His skills were raw on the summer showcase circuit before his junior and senior seasons, when Adell would swing at pitches outside the strike zone and occasionally botch plays in the field.

He made adjustments that allowed his bat to stay through the zone longer. The new approach resulted in better power and just seven strikeouts this season.

“We saw the leap he made in the six months from the summer to the spring, and we became very, very comfortable with him as a hitter,” Swanson said. “A lot of it comes with repetition. We thought there was a major improvement in that area.”