On Thursday night at Angel Stadium, Jo Adell made his return to the Los Angeles Angels with a solo shot that made some headlines.
The once top-prospect had been playing in Triple-A since the start of the regular season, when the Angels front office decided it would be more beneficial for Adell to get every day at-bats.
Adell used that opportunity to his advantage. Firing off 10 home runs with 21 RBI in April, followed that up with eight more in May, and has posted a collective .958 on-base plus slugging in 209 at-bats with the Salt Lake Bees.
With Hunter Renfroe going on paternity leave, the Angels called him up prior to Thurday’s game with the Chicago Cubs. In his first at-bat, he launched a 451-foot home run, kick-starting their 3-1 win, a welcoming swing for Adell, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“I think it’s like the me-versus-me thing,” said Adell, who has also shown improvement with his outfield defense. “I’m competing against myself. I’m not trying to size up other players. There are a lot of good players. Good teams have good players. I think for me, whatever my role is, wherever I fit into the mix, be happy about that.”
The Angels have been searching for roster depth for quite some time, and in year’s past, Adell was viewed as a potential starter. Now, in a new chapter of his still-early career, he’s trying to re-establish himself in MLB:
“I think the big thing is that our approach this year as a team is go out and do what you do best,” Adell said about his time at Salt Lake. “For me, it’s been my power numbers. I have been able to put the ball in the air more consistently this year to this point. So I’m hoping to bring that to the table as a strong suit for me.”
Adell’s power numbers will always be there, and so will a fair amount of strikeouts. For him, the largest thing was finding a middle ground of strikeout rate, and slugging.
Being as athletic as he is, the Angels viewed Adell as an uber-talented, outfielder who could play up because of his pure skill set:
“I watched him do his defensive work earlier and he looks great,” Manager Phil Nevin said. “Somebody came in and said ‘Wow, he looks like a really good major league outfielder.’ It’s just a credit to the work he put in both in spring training and on his own this offseason. We’re looking forward to watching him play and there are a lot of good reasons why.”
The Angels have Mickey Moniak mixed into the fold, but with Anthony Rendon back and playing third base, their ability to use the designated hitter is an interesting proposition. If the Angels opt to keep Adell in MLB for an extended period, he should play to stay in somewhat of a groove.
Manager Phil Nevin will closely evaluate Adell and how he responds to big league pitching. They’ll have a division matchup beginning on Friday with the Seattle Mariners that should be a good benchmark for how they move forward.
Angels unsure if Jo Adell will remain in MLB
Because Renfroe’s stay on the Paternity List won’t last more than the weekend, Adell’s time with the Angels could be short. The same value applies as the organization’s original approach, it’s always best to get regular at-bats than to remain as a bench piece.
That stance is only if the club feels he can become a regular contributor and an everyday guy. But if his play stays at a solid, to high level, he should stay with the team and find ways to incorporate him.
The Angels have rustled with what to do with Adell after his free-fall from top prospect to now, and have seen this story a few times. Optimism surrounding the 24-year-old is that he’s turned a corner, and the hardest hit ball of the season wasn’t a one-time deal.
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