The Los Angeles Angels have been patient with their prospects who appear to have high ceilings. Some have lived up to their potential and while others have required a bit of failure and maturation to figure it out.
Jo Adell has been with the Angels since being drafted out of high school in the first round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft. He debuted with the club as a 21-year-old in 2020, struggling mightily with a .161/.212/.266 slash line in 38 games.
The unfortunate part for Adell is his hype and the realization that his biggest draft profile questions would actually be what holds him back. But his 2023 season is off to a slightly different story as he’s slugged eight homers with 17 RBI in his first 13 Minor League games.
General manager Perry Minasian could’ve easily given up on the outfielder but chose to stick with him and allow him to work within the organization, where Adell has made some impactful changes to his game, via Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
Minasian said Adell made some swing adjustments midway through spring training.
“His buy-in has been outstanding,” Minasian said. “He worked really hard this offseason. So I’m glad he’s seeing the results he’s seeing. At some point, he’s going to help us.”
With a solid top three outfield options at the big league level, Adell is best served at Triple-A with the Salt Lake Bees. Instead of playing in a bench role, he can get regular starts and truly hone in on adjustments that could hopefully revive his status as a heralded player with immense athletic potential.
The Angels outfield has a solid starting trio, but in the event of an injury, Adell could get a chance to shine. Hunter Renfroe is also a free agent following the season, so Adell could eventually take his spot in the lineup.
Jo Adell named PCL Player of the Week
After leading the PCL in homers (7), runs batted in (15), slugging percentage (1.088) extra-base hits (11), and runs (11) through the team’s first nine games, Adell was named Pacific Coast League’s first Player of the Week award winner.
Alongside fellow Angels prospect Chase Silseth, Adell can check another box after jumping out of the gate with resounding success.
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