Before the 2022 season, the Los Angeles Angels figured to be in a great position with their outfield. Mike Trout is healthy with Brandon Marsh looking to take the next step and establish himself as a star, but Jo Adell has been somewhat of an enigma.
The former top prospect is still trying to gain his footing at the big league level after a difficult start to his tenure in 2021. Last season he put up a below league average wRC+ of 90 and it seemed that he just wasn’t ready for the Majors.
But with as much raw ability Adell possesses with speed, power, and defensive potential, paring him with Trout and Marsh in the outfield would provide the Angels with a legitimate trio.
Early this season, Adell’s struggles seemed to continue. This is all from a small sample size so that is definitely something to take note of, but he struck out in nine of his 15 plate appearances, and his issues defensively have been costly in the run department.
Trout has been a model of the ideal ballplayer in MLB for years and knows what it takes to be a star at the highest level, so he offered some of his advice to Adell, telling the young outfielder to just be himself at the plate, Trout told Sam Blum of The Athletic:
“(Don’t) try and do too much,” Trout said of his conversation with Adell. “Sometimes you come up here and you press a little bit. He’s young. Just try and be himself. Anybody at the plate, if you try to be somebody you’re not, try and hit the ball so far, it’s not going to work. … He’ll figure it out.”
One day following that sentiment, Adell hit a home run and smoke a double for an RBI. The Angels hope he can harness those positive outcomes and repeat them.
Adell should be able to continue producing as long as he just plays his game. He has all the talent in the world, and he just needs to let the game come to him rather than trying to take control of it:
“I think slowing the game down, and really focusing in on what (the opposition) is trying to do to me, how they’re trying to get me out,” Adell said. “… You don’t need to oversupply.”
With Trout patrolling centerfield, the wealth of knowledge he could bring to Adell, who also shows flashes of a potential superstar, is fun to think about.
Angels manager Joe Maddon continues to display confidence in Adell, and maybe all he might need is to find the correct mentality for something to click.
Marsh, Adell & Rendon power Angels past Marlins
The Angels picked up their first sweep of the 2022 season after defeating the Miami Marlins in both games of a two-game series. Their record now stands at 3-3 with two series in the books.
In the first game, the Angels won 6-2 led by the strong pitching performance of Michael Lorenzen, who said it was a “dream come true” to start for his hometown club.
The runs were provided early by Marsh, who hit a three-run home run in the first inning, which ended up being all his team needed to win. But he also didn’t stop there. He finished his day with four RBI and added a double while going 2-3.
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