Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell has had plenty of attention and pressure on him in 2024. First, it was his lack of minor league options that put pressure on him to perform in Spring Training. Then, an injury to Mike Trout vaulted him to being an every day player, and the microscope only zoomed in further. And at the beginning of May, it looked like things might be coming undone again for Adell.
From May 1-7, Adell went 1-for-20 at the plate with seven strikeouts. After concluding April with a slash line of .316/.365/.614 and a .979 OPS, the slump came at an all-too-familiar time for Adell, right when things were starting to come together.
But unlike previous years, Adell fought through the slump and seems to be on the other side of it. In the Angels’ last four games, he is 5-for-14 with three homers, including back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.
Adell spoke about what has contributed to him getting back on track and what has led to the strong season in general thus far, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“I think it all goes back to my decisions in the box and what I’m choosing to swing at,” Adell said. “In early May, I didn’t do the best job of getting pitches that I can handle. And we went back and looked at that and refocused on getting those pitches to handle early in the count and being ready to swing and being on the attack.”
Angels manager Ron Washington sees it all coming together for Adell as well, and is excited for him to build on the tools he’s shown in 2024.
“He’s only getting started,” Washington said. “Even look at his defense and he’s improving. And just how confident he is and you see the same thing at the plate. He’s going to strike out, but if you give him 500 at-bats, he’s going to do some damage. But he’s learning and he’s using the whole field.”
While the Angels are not winning games with consistency, seeing their young players take leaps in their careers could be just as valuable this season with Trout and Anthony Rendon on the injured list. Adell is finally taking the leap that many expected in previous years and just needs to keep it consistent and fight through the slumps the way he has.
Angels’ Nolan Schanuel leaning into natural habitat
After listening to critics saying that he should have more power playing first base, Angels infielder Nolan Schanuel decided to lean into what he does best and let the power come naturally at the plate.
