Tournament of Stars Day One: Adell Stands Out

The 2016 Tournament of Stars kicked off with a day of workouts on Tuesday, and several players showed well. This year’s class offers an intriguing group of athletes, with plus runners and two-way prospects.

One of those prospects is Jordon Adell. Don’t underestimate the things that Jordon Adell will do in a workout.

Adell ran the 60-yard dash in under 6.4 seconds. During the outfield workout, he had a few offline throws and didn’t show the raw arm strength that he had at last week’s Perfect Game National Showcase, but there’s still plenty to go off there.

In batting practice, Adell hit several line drives to his pull side, showing the ability to drive the ball over the fence. Adell has some moving parts to his swing, with a leg kick and some back-elbow movement. His swing isn’t dissimilar to one of his closest friends, Mariners first-round pick Kyle Lewis.

“He’s an absolute monster, a one-of-a-kind type of guy,” Adell said of Lewis. “The one thing that we both have in common is kind of that ‘go out and get it’ mentality. You’re going to strike out and swing and miss but everything you do is going to be aggressive and hard because that’s how you play.”

Adell has been well-known for a couple years now, and while he remains far from his ceiling, he says he’s taken strides over the last year.

“I think I’m more polished all around,” Adell said. “I’m kind of handing in some of that rawness that I’ve had in the past and I think that’s working out for the better. I think also I’m playing a little bit looser.”

Adell has exceptional ceiling as a position player, but is also a significant prospect on the mound. He says he doesn’t have a preference at this point.

“I love to swing it, but at the same time there’s something about having the ball in your hand and you’re in control of the game when you’re on the mound, and there’s something about that that’s great,” Adell said. “At the end of the day, I’ll figure it out, but it’s awesome to be able to do both right now.”