One of the most intriguing story lines of the past few seasons — and especially entering 2024 — for the Los Angeles Angels has been outfielder Jo Adell. Once seen as one of the game’s top young prospects, Adell has struggled to put it all together at the Major League level. He has power and speed, but lacked plate discipline and glove skills in his MLB stints. And the hiring of new manager Ron Washington in 2024 puts extra pressure on him.
Adell is out of options, meaning he must either make the Angels 26-man roster to begin the season or he’ll be placed on waivers or traded. And while Washington would have nothing specific against Adell, he doesn’t have the history with him to keep him around if he’s not proven himself to be one of the four or five best outfielders in the organization.
But things have gone relatively well for Adell at the start of Spring Training, and while he’s still a little ways off from where he’d like to be, he’s happy with where he’s at, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“My rhythm is getting there,” Adell said. “I’ve missed a few pitches here and there and hit some fly balls but overall I’m feeling really good. But getting my rhythm is really the main focus. Everything else will come into play.”
Washington also spoke positively of Adell, hinting that perhaps the young outfielder will get a chance with the Major League roster, at least to begin the season.
“He’s a different guy right now,” Washington said. “And because he’s going through this process, once the season starts, I think we might have the Jo Adell everybody wanted because now he has to be engaged. And now he’s using the whole field. He’s feeling good about himself. He’s working hard every day. So let’s just wait and see where it goes.”
The Angels have invested plenty into Adell by keeping him around for all these years, even as he struggled to piece things together. And the beautiful thing about baseball is that players can turn their careers around at any time. Perhaps 2024 is the year Adell finally becomes what the Angels have expected him to be.
Ron Washington bringing infield drills to Angels
Washington was transformative for an eventual World Series champion in the Braves as the third base coach for seven seasons. The Braves had one of the best infields all of baseball toward the tail end of his tenure, and in that tiem he came up with what are now known as Washington Drills. These are infield drills that are so effective that Freddie Freeman brought them with him when he signed with the L.A. Dodgers in 2022.
Washington is now bringing those drills to an Angels infield that includes two young potential cornerstones in Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel. He’s bringing a more refined version that involves ground work and minimal movement to ensure the ball is hitting the right part of the glove with consistency.