Angels’ Jo Adell Reveals How He Turned His Career Around

Eva Geitheim | May 29, 2024

Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell came into the 2024 season in need of a breakout season. The former top-10 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft had yet to show the consistency and potential that made him such a high pick.

Prior to the year, the Angels staff challenged Adell to put in a good year, indicating that his time on the field and with the Angels might not last long if he continued to struggle. He could not be optioned to the minor leagues, so the only way the Angels could assign Adell to the minor leagues (other than on an injury rehab assignment) was to try to pass him through waivers.

Adell has responded to the challenge, carving out a regular spot on the roster with his play this season.

Adell is slashing .216/.279/.475 with 10 home runs, 23 RBIs, and eight stolen bases. He has already set career-highs in home runs and stolen bases, and is on base to smash his personal best for RBIs in a season. Along with his hitting, Adell has emerged as a reliable player in the outfield, helping to fortify the Halos' defense.

Adell broke down how he's made a strong leap this season, emphasizing how he's gained a greater understanding of the pitches he's seeing from opponents and how he can best respond.

“The bigger focus is, now I’m kind of understanding how these pitchers are attacking me, and what it looks like," Adell told Trent Rush via the Under the Halos podcast. "I’m also aware of what I hit well. I think that’s kind of the bigger reason things have gone well. I’m looking at those heat maps of myself and figuring out hey, these guys are pitching this way but this is what you hit well. So I’m starting to look for pitches I can do damage with more often."

Adell's average swing speed of 76.8 mph ranks fourth in MLB this season, ahead of names like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani — the two reigning MVPs.

"Obviously, I’m going to have those at-bats where things go sideways — they make better pitches, maybe than what I’m prepared for in that at-bat," Adell added. "But one thing I haven’t given up is my aggressiveness. When I rest my head at night I can say that I’m putting up ‘A’ swings. I’m putting up the best swings I can to put our team in a situation where we can be successful. Yeah I’ve had swing and miss, I’ve struck out. OK. But are these ‘A’ swings? Am I putting up swings that can help the team? And for the first part of the season I can say I’ve done that.”

For a struggling Angels team that ranks last in the AL West at 21-33, and lost its best player for most of the season with injury, Adell's turnaround has been one of the few bright spots. While it's unlikely the Angels will contend for anything besides a high 2025 draft pick, Adell's leap as a player should give their roster a key building block for years to come.