Angels News: Phil Nevin Expects Jo Adell to Contribute Next Season

Angels manager Phil Nevin says he expects young outfielder Jo Adell to "have a hand" in the Halos' success in 2023.

Angels outfielder Jo Adell was highly touted in the minors, ranking as high as the number-two overall prospect just a couple years ago. He's spent time in the big leagues in each of the last three years, though, and that potential hasn't come through yet at the highest level.

Adell has a .616 OPS (70 OPS+) in 557 big-league plate appearances, a far cry from the .896 OPS he posted in the minors, including .877 in 650 PA in Triple-A. Is it just taking him longer to make the adjustment from Triple-A to the big leagues? Or is there something about Adell that is preventing him from succeeding in the majors?

No one knows that answer for sure, but when Halos manager Phil Nevin was asked about Adell at the Winter Meetings, he sounded hopeful that the breakout is coming.

"Those things will play themselves out as we get closer to Opening Day," Nevin said. "But I certainly expect Jo to have a hand in a lot of the success we’re going to have next year."

The Angels added Hunter Renfroe this offseason, and word is that Jared Walsh might spend more time in the outfield in 2023. Throw in Taylor Ward, Mike Trout, and even Mickey Moniak, and it's a crowded outfield. Adell surely has the talent to stand out even in that crowd, but he hasn't done it yet at the big-league level.

Even in Triple-A, Adell has struck out in 30.5% of his plate appearances. Across the minors, his K rate was 26.9%. In the majors, the strikeout rate has been 34.8%, which is much too high. He's shown he can be successful even with a high strikeout rate in the minors, so there's a chance he could be a productive big-leaguer if he can just get that rate down into the high 20s. But unless and until he can start making more consistent contact, it's hard to see him improving too much.

Adell is still young — he'll turn 24 just after Opening Day — so there's time for him to figure things out. But it feels like 2023 will be a critical year in his development.