Jordyn Adams | OF
Background
The 18-year-old Adams plays both baseball and football at Green Hope High School in Raleigh. He’s a top wide receiver recruit committed to play football at North Carolina, where his father is on the coaching staff. After a tough summer showcase circuit last year, Adams improved his draft stock greatly with a standout showing at the National High School Invitational this spring.
Scouting Report
Adams is very much a raw tools over baseball skills prospect right now. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 175 lbs. and he’s an electric athlete with top of the line speed. That speed serves him well both on the bases and in center field. Adams is a right-handed hitter with good bat speed and some power, and his approach is better than you’d expect for a kid who’s yet to dedicate himself to baseball full-time. The big drawback here is that Adams is so very raw on a baseball field. His swing mechanics need to be ironed out — Adams uses a big leg kick that slows him down sometimes — and his outfield reads and routes are unrefined. It’s not quite fair to say he’s a football player who has to learn how to play baseball, but it’s close. Adams has tremendous natural ability but must still develop a feel for the game.
Miscellany
Because he’s so raw, the various scouting publications all rank Adams outside the first round. MLB.com ranks him as the 37th best prospect in the draft class while Baseball America (subs. req’d) ranks him 45th and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranks him 50th. The Yankees hold the 23rd pick. Despite those rankings, Adams is projected to go in the first round at the moment — he’s been connected to the Yankees in several mock drafts — and it’s expected to take a significant overslot bonus to keep him away from UNC. The Yankees have had some success turning raw multi-sport prep athletes into legitimate MLB prospects (Austin Jackson and Dustin Fowler, most notably), and we know they love high-end tools, so Adams does fit their usual profile.