Playing in center field, Adell features as much speed as you will find in this draft, flashing a 6.19 time in the 60-yard dash to go with an explosive first step and outfield movement. That speed and explosive ability lead to no worries of Jo’s ability to stick in the position long term, making him a premium asset at one of three key middle spots in the diamond. To go along with the plus speed, Adell has one of the best arms in the entire draft, hitting 96 mph on the mounds and 97 from the outfield. The arm strength and speed combination could lead Jordon to a gold glove someday depending on his reads and instincts which show themselves to be solid now.

At the dish, Adell turns those quick twitch skills into plus-plus bat speed which combined with his strength leads to big power ability. Employing a high leg kick allows Adell to sit back on off speed stuff while the bat speed is enough to catch up to velocity. There is some swing and miss in his game, but he’s seen his ability to make contact against upper-level competition greatly improve in the past year which has pushed his stock from pitcher to outfielder. On draft day, Adell will have been 18 for just two months leaving his upside as considerable considering his late blooming status with the bat. The swing and miss in his game could leave his batting average more in that .250 range, but he’s shown ability to hit spin which should mean he has what it takes to compete at the pro level.

Offensively, I most like Adell’s ability to tilt shoulders to create elevation. This combined with his bad speed and strength should give him a great ability to drive the ball and lead to 30-home run type power. All while playing a premium defensive position at a premium level. The tools scream Royals prospect and the fact that he played summer ball in the same outfield as Royals 2016 3rd round pick Khalil Lee should mean that the brass has focused in on Adell’s growth with the bat. As the season goes on, I suspect Adell’s tools will blow him up and he ends up in the top 10 picks even if he doesn’t appear there currently.

Daniel Tillo – I went over to Iowa Western on Sunday to check out the JUCO lefty that has some helium in the MLB draft. The former Iowa Mr. Basketball transferred back to Iowa Western after one year at Kentucky and has recently pushed his way into the Top 100 of Baseball America’s draft prospect list.

On Sunday during a colder 45-degree day, Tillo wasn’t reaching his upper-level velocity levels working mostly in the 89-91 range while topping out at 93 mph. With a low 3/4 degree release, Tillo flashed a solid average slider at times in the mid-80s. While he didn’t use his changeup that I saw during the outing he did toss a couple in BP in the upper 70s that presented some fade. The fastball presented some arm side run at times and Tillo was able to keep it low in the zone while flashing the ability to put it on both sides of the dish. In addition to his normal angle, Tillo is able to toss from a lower nearly 50/50 slot that could be helpful

The big and athletic lefty was around the zone the entire seven-inning outing, working mostly in the middle early which didn’t hurt him against a weaker Iowa Lakes lineup. From the third inning on he seemed to find his arm angle and was able to put away the lineup by hitting his spots and getting some swing and miss to earn 7 strikeouts. Overall, it was an okay outing that presented flashes with the two primary pitches while also giving the semblance of a pitcher who can pitch with better control than he’s flashed earlier this season when he tossed with louder stuff. The combination of size, athleticism, and stuff seems worthy of a pick after the 2nd round.

Featured Photo © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Previous It’s Never Too Early Articles:
Garrett Mitchell
Brendon Little
Jacob Heatherly, Interview
Michael Gigliotti
Alex Lange and Calvin Mitchell

Pitchers Josh Staumont, Kyle Zimmer and Andrew Edwards along with veterans give them more than enough inventory to fill out Kansas City’s bullpen during a possible playoff run. Knowing they have enough in house pitching for a run the Royals could continue to add depth to their lower minors group; a group that despite what the prospect community thinks, is starting to look intriguing to me.

Which players could Lonnie Goldberg add to the new wave? One such player could be outfielder Garrett Mitchell of Orange Lutheran High School in California. The Royals front office and draft gurus long have loved toolsy players and Mitchell fits right into that model as a centerfielder that has multiple exciting tools. The outfielder from just south of Disney Land has the speed to run toe to toe with Space Mountain as he’s been spotted running 6.35 speed in the 60. To put that in perspective, current Omaha Storm Chaser center fielder Bubba Starling ran a 6.5 time during his high school days.

Along with that speed, Mitchell possesses solid reads on balls in the outfield and a good arm with carry that registers in the low 90’s. While some think the arm plays at just average to a tick below with that velocity in the outfield, and I think over time we will see his arm to be average to plus. The speed and arm combination combined with the Royals ability to teach outfield defense should give Mitchell an opportunity to become an elite defender.

At 6’2 200 lbs., Mitchell has a physical frame that should be able to add even more strength to an already strong frame. While most players with this size and frame would gradually slide over to right field, Garrett’s elite speed will likely keep him in center. It’s a profile that the Royals were looking for with Bubba Starling but with far more feel for baseball. The only deterrent to Mitchell and that frame is the fact that he is a Type 1 diabetic who wears an insulin pump. While some teams may be wary of his diabetes Mitchell is comfortable with it and does a fantastic job of keeping himself healthy and constantly monitoring his situation. Just another sign of his commitment to his body and game.

The offensive profile is where some questions lie with Mitchell despite his plus speed and strength. The lefty drops his hands in his load, leaving him with a flat planed swing that some experts believe could a load change. The drop leads to plenty of line drives and elevated fly balls now while Garrett has shown that his bat stays in the hitting zone for an extended time with elite bat speed. The Perfect Game program continues to make strides with multiple companies to judge bat speed, time to impact, hand speed and exit velocity. In those measurements, Mitchell rated in the 93 percent or better ratio in both times to impact and exit velocity.

While not ranking as highly in hand speed and bat speed at the time of impact he still showed above average rates at both. The hand load may need a small tweak but I think the makings of a 60 hitter with excellent ability to generate hard contact on a good swing path with strength. While looking at video and gifs of Mitchell I think Wilson Karaman of Baseball Prospectus comparison of the swing to Chase Utley hit home for me.

Check out more scouting video’s from Wilson Karaman on his Youtube page

If you combine that speed, the strength, bat speed and bat path, I think you have the full package as a future 50/55 hitter with 20 HR power in a center field profile. A true five-tool player that could excite the brass and fans at the same time. When tossing in the Chase Utley style bat perhaps Mike Arbuckle’s (drafted Utley) involvement in the front office could turn the front office onto this player. As far as prep position players rank Garrett Mitchell would be my selection for the Royals at this current time based on likely availability and upside.

Featured Photo Garrett Mitchell at the Area Code Games via Eric Sorenson College Baseball Today

Follow Wilson Karaman @vocaljavelins for more draft video and information

Previous It’s Never Too Early Articles:
Brendon Little
Jacob Heatherly, Interview
Michael Gigliotti
Alex Lange and Calvin Mitchell