Angels Agree To Terms With First-Rounder Jordyn Adams

Angels first-round pick Jordyn Adams revealed today that he’s agreed to terms with the team, though he’s yet to officially sign his new contract, as Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times tweets. Adams, a prep outfielder out of North Carolina’s Green Hope High School, was selected by the Halos with the No. 17 overall pick. Financial terms have not been reported, though that slot came with a slot value of $3,472,900.

Opinions on Adams varied, to an extent, headed into this week’s draft, though most every outlet agreed that he was one of the 50 best talents in the draft. Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs joined ESPN’s Keith Law in ranking him 19th among draft prospects, while Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com had him 37th, and Baseball America pegged Adams 45th.

Adams, by all counts, possesses tremendous athleticism, as he was also committed to UNC where he’d have had the chance to play wide receiver on their football team in addition to furthering his baseball career. (Notably, Adams’ father is the defensive line coach at UNC.) Fangraphs pegs him as an 80-grade runner, while MLB.com has him at a 75 (on the 20-80 scale), and there’s little doubt in any of the aforementioned scouting reports that he has the potential to handle center field as a plus defender. He’s said to have good bat speed and a good feel for hitting, but he’s also still raw as a prospect given that he’d yet to commit to baseball on a full time basis before today’s agreement.

While Adams is obviously years from MLB readiness, he’ll add to a growing collection of talented outfielders in the Angels’ minor league ranks. Jo Adell, last year’s first-round pick, and Brandon Marsh (second round, 2016) both have the potential to play excellent outfield defense down the line and are both considered to be among the game’s 100 or so best prospects.