Brewers cut ties with former first-round pick who is pursuing a surprising career change

In recent years, the Milwaukee Brewers have put an emphasis on adding players to their organization who excel in the defensive and baserunning aspects of the game. The Brewers, always searching for market inefficiencies they can exploit, have discovered that while power costs an exorbitant amount of money in today's game, speed and defensive acumen don't require the same financial reserves.

As a result, Milwaukee's farm league system is chock full of minor league free agents with elite speed, who, if they can make improvements at the plate, could become productive big leaguers. Players like Dasan Brown, Mark Coley II, Greg Jones, and Jacob Hurtubise were all signed to minor league free agent deals in the last few months and all possess impressive speed and baserunning ability.

However, the best overall athlete that the Brewers added to their organization over the winter was not any of the quartet mentioned above. Rather, it was Los Angeles Angels 2018 first-round pick Jordyn Adams, who the Brewers added on a minor league pact back on February 4.

Now, just a few short months after joining Milwaukee's minor league system, Adams has officially retired from baseball and is following a new career path -- one that revisits a former passion of his.

Brewers' minor league outfielder Jordyn Adams retires from baseball to join Southern Methodist University football team

Back in 2018, Adams, who attended Green Hope HS in Cary, North Carolina, was not only a top MLB Draft prospect, but he was also a 4-star wide receiver recruit. He was the No. 3-ranked WR in the 2018 class, notably one spot higher than now-superstar receiver Ja'Marr Chase.

However, when the Angels selected him with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft, Adams, who was committed to the University of North Carolina where he was planning on playing both baseball and football, chose to forgo his college commitment and join Los Angeles' farm system.

Adams did make his MLB debut in 2023 with the Angels, but struggles at the plate prevented him from carving out a consistent role on the major league squad. The former first-round pick went on to appear in just 38 total games with the Angels and Baltimore Orioles from 2023-2025 before landing with the Brewers this past offseason.

The now-26-year-old Adams continued to struggle in the Brewers' minor league system, posting a .198/.298/.363 slash line in 27 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. He was transferred to the Development List on May 23rd in a sign that he was contemplating his future in the sport, and two days later, Milwaukee released him from their organization.

However, Adams is not seeking out another opportunity in baseball now that he's technically a free agent. Rather, he has decided to pursue a career in football by joining Southern Methodist University's football team as a wide receiver. The news, which leaked on Monday afternoon, was confirmed by Billy Embody of On the Pony Express -- a publication that covers all things SMU athletics.

Brewers fans might remember Milwaukee's 2014 second-round pick Monte Harrison following a similar path a few years ago. Harrison, who was involved in the Christian Yelich blockbuster back in 2018, spent several seasons in the Miami Marlins' organization before retiring from baseball to join the University of Arkansas' football team as a wide receiver.

Adams certainly has the talent to be an impactful player for the SMU Mustangs this season. For Brewers fans, who experienced the tail-end of Adams' baseball career, his name will be a fun one to watch out for as he resumes his football journey.

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