The Angels, Monday selected outfielder Jordon "Jo" Adell out of Ballard HS (Louisville, KY), (1st round, 10th overall) and RHP Griffin Canning (2nd round, 47th overall) from UCLA on the first day of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft. The announcements were made by Angels' Director of Amateur Scouting Matt Swanson.
Adell, 18, batted .562 with 25 home runs, 61 RBI, 22 stolen bases and 53 runs scored in his senior season for the Bruins. He was named the Gatorade Kentucky Baseball Player of the Year and is the first player drafted directly out of a Louisville high school in the first round since the Cincinnati Reds selected Ballard pitcher Jeremy Sowers at No. 20 in 2001.
The 25 home runs for Adell led the nation and were four shy of the all-time Kentucky High School record in addition to being the highest single-season total in the state since the induction of BBCOR bats in 2012. He also ranked fourth in the nation in slugging percentage (1.437) and seventh in RBI.
Canning, 21, made 17 starts in his junior season for UCLA, going 7-4 with a 2.34 ERA (119 IP - 31 ER) and 140 strikeouts. The Coto de Caza, Calif. native led the Pac-12 Conference in strikeouts and innings pitched this season and ranked third in ERA and fourth in batting average against (.213). A Santa Margarita Catholic High School product, Canning was named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist following the 2017 season. He was tabbed as a Collegiate Baseball All-American second team honoree and was selected to the All-Pac-12 team. Canning was previously drafted out of high school by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the 2014 Draft but did not sign.