Two-Sport All-American Jordyn Adams Flashing Potential With Salt Lake Bees
May 3, 2023, 12:29 PM | Updated: May 4, 2023, 9:52 am
SALT LAKE CITY – If Bees centerfielder Jordyn Adams is asked to share something unique about himself, he has quite the trump card. Adams is one of three athletes to be named an Under Armour All-American in both football and baseball.
The others?
Pro Bowl NFL quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray and Pro Bowl NFL wide receiver A.J. Brown. This adds to the mystique of the player rated by Baseball America as “Best Athlete” in the Angels organization three years running.
First Triple-A Hit✔️
First Triple-A Homer✔️Welcome to Salt Lake @jordynadams10 pic.twitter.com/vK3FZM3Knm
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) April 2, 2023
Twenty-six games into his Bees career, Adams is showing off the tantalizing tools that have him rated as the Angels 30th-ranked prospect by MLB.com entering 2023.
The 6’2, 181-pound athlete out of Cary, North Carolina is making the most of his opportunity with Salt Lake.
“He’s been doing a great job for us,” manager Keith Johnson said. “Leading our team in RBIs. Getting positive outs, stealing bases when he has to. There’s a lot of good things he’s doing right now.”
The strength is unquestioned, but Adams has struggled to harness his power. He had just 17 home runs across 329 minor league games entering this season. Adams has seven long balls in 2023, besting his 2022 total of four and one behind his career high of eight in 2019.
Defensively, Adams’ athleticism is on display when you see him gracefully gliding across the outfield, tracking down baseballs ticketed for the gap. Playing with former first-round picks Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell in the outfield, Adams has had a chance to play all three outfield positions this season.
.@saltlakebees outfielder Jordyn Adams sprint-speed nearly hit 22 MPH on this play AND doubled up the runner with this throw
It was the fourth-fastest defensive sprint speed in Triple-A this season.#SLBees #MiLB #GoHalos @kslsports pic.twitter.com/UQsEB4xble
— Brian Preece (@bpreece24) May 3, 2023
Johnson referenced the above play as an example of Adams’ capabilities.
“It’s a joy watching him. Everything about him is fast twitch. The challenge for him is making those plays every night. Every time a ball gets in the air, it’s an opportunity for him to make plays.”
North Carolina or Pro Baseball?
Adams’ father, Deke, played football at Southern Mississippi. His mother, Alexis, played basketball for four seasons at Southern Miss.
From an early age, Jordyn Adams‘ athleticism shined through.
“One time I had a practice when I was probably around six years old,” Adams recalled. “First practice the coach was saying I was hitting the ball too hard. So my parents asked if I could play with my older brother and (the league) agreed. Ever since then, I was playing up.”
I'm coming home!!! 🙏🏽 #blessed pic.twitter.com/NIbmHeDRxS
— Jordyn Adams (@jordynadams10) July 3, 2017
Already a star on the baseball and football fields, Adams’ fame grew when a clip of him dunking went viral on YouTube.
Adams was a four-star football recruit, participating in the “Elite 11” camp alongside future NFL quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Justin Fields (Chicago Bears).
Following his final year of high school, Adams committed to the University of North Carolina because they were open to him playing both football and baseball.
“I had the (football) playbook before the draft,” Adams said of his commitment to play both sports. “I was pretty serious about playing both going to college so I wrote off a lot of schools because of that reason.”
Jordyn Adams Chooses Professional Baseball
Despite his commitment to UNC, the Angels saw enough potential in Adams to take him with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Player Draft.
The Angels and Adams ultimately agreed to an over-slot, $4.1 million deal out of high school to get him in the system immediately.
Jordyn Adams is giving up poster dunks and touchdowns for home runs after being drafted 17th overall in MLB Draft by Angels (@GHFalcons) pic.twitter.com/cMDS8pYPtQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 8, 2018
“It’s an opportunity,” Adams said of his decision to sign with the Angels. “I’ve always dreamed of playing professional sports, whether it’s basketball, football, or baseball. (The) opportunity presented itself to play at the next level. I had to take it and run.”
Now approaching five years after he was drafted, Adams’ climb through the minor leagues could be described as a ‘slow grind’.
#Angels No. 30 prospect Jordyn Adams finished last week's series against El Paso with back-to-back three-hit performances, including a two-run homer Saturday. @ANG_Recruiting #ServeYourWay pic.twitter.com/JeORbfBCNw
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) May 2, 2023
“Coming into pro ball, I was not the mature athlete or player that I am today,” Adams said of his growth. “In high school, I was just out there playing. I wasn’t as mentally into the game as I am now.”
At 23 years old, more than three years younger than the average age in Triple-A, Adams leans on former Angels top-prospect Jo Adell for advice.
“He’s been to the big leagues, been where I want to go. His experiences and his stories help me day in and day out. I go to him for anything.”
A .242 batting average and 32.6 percent strikeout rate in his first taste of Triple-A show that Adams still has progress to make before he gets the call to Los Angeles.
“He wasn’t drafted where he was for no reason,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t something that was given to him. It’s something that is earned and now he’s going out here, going about his business in a way where he’s trying to earn that first shot at the big leagues.”
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