Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Photos
In case you had been solely going by uncooked stat traces, the top of April would have been an comprehensible time to surrender on Jo Adell. After struggling mightily in components of 4 seasons with the Angels in addition to the primary half of 2024, he confirmed some optimistic beneficial properties within the second half earlier than being shut down because of an indirect pressure in early September. He completed in replacement-level territory, with a 90 wRC+ and 0.1 WAR, then was dreadful at the beginning of this season, protruding even amongst one of many majors’ worst offenses. These days, although, Adell has come round in promising style, providing hope that he is usually a productive huge leaguer in spite of everything, if not the star so many as soon as believed he may very well be.
Initially, I meant to make use of the 26-year-old Adell to guide off the 2025 model of an article I wrote final yr, protecting gamers who had improved essentially the most after dismal begins — even when their general numbers had been camouflaged by their early struggles and nonetheless got here off as quite extraordinary. Utilizing Could 1 as a cutoff, with a minimal of 80 plate appearances on both facet, I discovered that Adell had improved essentially the most from the primary leg of the season to the second. Right here’s the desk, with the stats up to date by means of Sunday:
Largest wRC+ Enhancements Since Could 1
Total
Mar/Apr
Could/June
Participant
Crew
PA
AVG
OBP
SLG
wRC+
WAR
PA
wRC+
PA
wRC+
Dif
Jo Adell
LAA
214
.227
.299
.464
113
0.5
89
49
125
158
108
Ryan McMahon
COL
282
.221
.333
.400
95
1.4
121
38
161
138
100
Alec Bohm
PHI
283
.283
.322
.404
103
1.1
119
45
164
144
99
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
ARI
278
.256
.302
.433
101
0.6
113
43
165
141
99
Vinnie Pasquantino
KCR
300
.275
.330
.417
106
0.6
124
49
176
146
97
Carlos Narváez
BOS
209
.286
.368
.465
132
2.5
84
78
125
168
90
Alejandro Kirk
TOR
230
.316
.357
.425
122
2.4
93
71
137
157
86
Brandon Lowe
TBR
275
.257
.309
.447
116
1.2
114
66
161
151
86
José Ramírez
CLE
288
.324
.385
.543
158
3.3
120
110
168
193
83
Max Muncy
LAD
262
.239
.366
.418
125
1.3
110
79
152
158
79
Total statistics by means of June 15. Mar/Apr statistics by means of April 30. Could/June statistics from Could 1–June 15. Minimal 80 plate appearances in each Mar/Apr and Could/June.
Adell hit simply .190/.236/.310 with two house runs in March and April whereas hanging out 27% of the time, however from the beginning of Could by means of Sunday, he hit .255/.344/.582 with 11 homers whereas trimming that strikeout charge to 23.2%. He was about half a win under substitute degree earlier than Could 1, and has been a couple of full win above since.
I’ll dig into the numbers under, however first, a recap. A 2017 first-round pick of a Louisville highschool, Adell cracked our High 100 Prospects listing in every of the following three seasons, rating as excessive as no. 4 in 2020, as a 65-FV prospect, and he was equally regarded by different shops due to his mixture of plus-plus uncooked energy and plus pace. However since debuting early within the 2020 season, he has usually struggled to make good contact, or any contact in any respect for that matter, together with his lack of refinement limiting his alternative to point out off the instruments that so tantalized expertise evaluators. In a complete of 178 main league video games from 2020–23, he hit simply .214/.259/.366 with 18 homers in 619 plate appearances en path to a grim 70 wRC+. After showing in 88 video games with the Angels however managing only a 77 wRC+ and -0.2 WAR in 2022, he performed solely 17 video games within the majors in ’23 whereas returning to Triple-A Salt Lake for the fourth yr out of 5. As I joked early final yr, when it regarded like he is likely to be breaking out — which proved to not be the case, alas — if he’d spent only a bit extra time in my hometown, my dad and mom would have been obligated to ask him over for dinner.
Certainly, opposite to the title of that check-in (“Jo Adell Is Lastly Placing It Collectively”), Adell didn’t put it collectively, however as a result of he was out of minor league choices and the Angels had been out of higher concepts, he remained within the lineup. He mainly had one wonderful month within the first half of the season (March/April, 171 wRC+), one within the second half (August, 128 wRC+), and a good one within the center (July, 104 wRC+), however the remaining was fairly cringeworthy. Nonetheless, when damaged down by halves, one might see some progress:
Jo Adell 2024 Splits by Half
Break up
PA
HR
BB%
Okay%
AVG
OBP
SLG
wRC+
EV
Brl%
HH%
1st Half
291
15
6.9%
29.6%
.190
.255
.399
80
89.4
12.2%
43.6%
2nd Half
160
5
9.4%
25.0%
.239
.325
.408
109
90.5
10.8%
46.1%
Whole
451
20
7.8%
27.9%
.207
.280
.402
90
89.8
11.7%
44.5%
Adell’s strikeout and stroll charges each improved, however his contact was a blended bag. His anticipated batting common jumped from .217 to .238 within the second half, whereas his anticipated slugging share fell from .432 to .392, to the purpose that the 2 developments almost cancelled one another out; his xwOBA barely inched upward, from .309 to .318.
There was extra occurring throughout that second half than these stat traces recommend. On the finish of July, after experimenting with hitting coaches Johnny Washington and Tim Laker first in spring coaching after which extra lately in pregame work, Adell ditched a leg kick that he had used for his whole profession. “Adell had all the time introduced his entrance foot about 12 inches off the bottom as he ready to swing, utilizing that set off mechanism on all pitches,” wrote the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher. “On Tuesday (July 30), although, Adell merely lifted his heel, protecting his toe on the bottom.”
Right here’s a house run Adell hit off the Tigers’ Shelby Miller on June 30, 2024, with the kick nonetheless in place:
And right here’s the one he hit off the Rockies’ Jake Chicken on July 30, in his first recreation with out the kick:
Right here’s one other one and not using a kick from August 31, off the Mariners’ Bryan Woo:
I offered that final one to assist illustrate how Adell regularly opened up his stance. We don’t have granular game-by-game knowledge, however from Opening Day by means of the top of June, Adell’s stance was closed by two or three levels in response to Statcast’s month-to-month averages. In July, nonetheless, his stance was open by a mean of three levels; that elevated to 10 levels in August, and in his 5 September video games (throughout which he went 1-for-14 earlier than getting injured), he was open by 11 levels.
Throughout spring coaching, Adell experimented with bringing again his leg kick, believing he might use it, at the very least on a situational foundation, to benefit from his pure athleticism. He hit a grand slam off the Dodgers’ Dustin Could utilizing the leg kick on February 28, however so far as I can inform, he didn’t carry his leg sit back into regular-season video games till Could 26, by which level he’d already turned the nook after his horrible opening stretch. From that time he went on a binge, hitting .328/.409/.724 with seven house runs from Could 26 by means of June 15 in opposition to the Yankees, Guardians, Purple Sox, Mariners, A’s, and Orioles. Variants of the kick, which to those eyes seem much less pronounced than final yr, present up in all 4 homers he hit in opposition to the Mariners and A’s from June 7–11:
Adell’s stance was open by a mean of 12 levels in March and April, however he’s again to 10 levels since. His swing path tilt has been constant at 32 levels from month to month, one lower than final yr. Likewise, his common assault angle — the vertical angle at which his bat is touring on the level of impression, has remained constant at eight levels, the place it was usually at 5 levels final yr, by means of good months and unhealthy. It’s an uppercut, however hardly an excessive one.
Whatever the angles, the one fixed is Adell swings arduous. His 77.3-mph common bat pace ranks fourth amongst qualifiers, behind solely Oneil Cruz, Junior Caminero, and Jordan Walker, whereas his quick swing charge of 69.7% ranks fifth. His 26.8% squared-up charge is means down within the seventh percentile, however his 14.3% blast charge is up within the 81st.
Lengthy story brief, Adell is hitting the ball tougher than final yr, and because of that improved strikeout charge, he’s making contact extra usually:
Jo Adell Statcast Profile
Season
BBE
EV
LA
Brl%
HH%
AVG
xBA
SLG
xSLG
wOBA
xwOBA
2024
283
89.8
15.9
11.7%
44.5%
.207
.224
.402
.418
.296
.312
2025
141
90.5
13.2
14.2%
46.8%
.227
.273
.464
.548
.333
.379
2025 Through April 30
60
89.6
14.0
11.7%
43.3%
.190
.252
.310
.426
.243
.312
2025 Since Could 1
81
91.3
12.7
16.0%
49.4%
.255
.289
.582
.642
.398
.427
SOURCE: Baseball Savant
All statistics by means of June 15.
When he does join, Adell manages to seek out the barrel with some frequency; final yr’s charge positioned within the 79th percentile, this yr’s within the 86th. Past that, his anticipated stats have improved dramatically from yr to yr, by 49 factors of batting common and 130 factors of slugging share, however up to now, his precise numbers have improved by lower than half these margins. Nonetheless, that’s progress. His contact really wasn’t that unhealthy in March and April; he was 62 factors in need of his xBA and 116 factors in need of his xSLG throughout what in any other case regarded like a depressing month. Even since Could 1, he hasn’t gotten the outcomes his high quality of contact suggests. However between that and his improved strikeout and stroll charges, he’s in uncharted territory, xwOBA-wise:
It’s significantly encouraging to think about what Adell has achieved since final July 30, when he first ditched the leg kick; throughout that span of 411 plate appearances, he’s hit .230/.309/.439 with 20 homers, a 12.5% barrel charge, 25.3% strikeout charge, and a 111 wRC+. That’s not star-caliber, but it surely’s definitely playable for a middle fielder (extra on that topic under) regardless of his struggles final September and early this yr.
What does concern me is Adell’s pitch splits. This yr, he’s completely feasted on sliders, and to a lesser extent sinkers, which collectively account for about one-third of his pitches confronted:
Jo Adell Pitch Splits
12 months
Pitch Sort
%
PA
HR
BA
XBA
SLG
XSLG
WOBA
XWOBA
EV
Whiff%
2024
4 Seamer
34.4%
160
5
.180
.202
.309
.346
.264
.290
90.2
29.9%
2025
4 Seamer
29.9%
71
3
.175
.287
.349
.600
.278
.410
92.0
25.9%
2024
Sinker
17.2%
90
5
.250
.302
.488
.520
.351
.388
86.7
14.4%
2025
Sinker
18.3%
43
2
.263
.314
.421
.531
.344
.399
92.8
16.9%
2024
Slider
17.1%
80
6
.230
.262
.527
.575
.345
.377
94.1
37.6%
2025
Slider
15.1%
27
5
.407
.348
1.074
.846
.624
.497
94.9
38.3%
2024
Sweeper
9.5%
29
1
.192
.163
.346
.301
.276
.249
90.4
36.8%
2025
Sweeper
11.6%
23
0
.261
.246
.304
.296
.248
.236
83.0
12.5%
2024
Changeup
6.8%
29
2
.143
.196
.393
.502
.239
.307
89.0
39.7%
2025
Changeup
7.1%
9
0
.111
.159
.111
.168
.099
.145
75.5
42.3%
2024
Curveball
4.1%
12
0
.182
.131
.364
.253
.209
.171
96.2
37.1%
2025
Curveball
6.9%
15
1
.071
.083
.286
.280
.187
.187
83.3
65.5%
2024
Cutter
6.0%
32
1
.333
.228
.500
.367
.378
.283
90.2
22.7%
2025
Cutter
5.0%
15
1
.091
.255
.364
.670
.326
.466
94.6
33.3%
Adell was 4 runs above common in opposition to sliders final yr and is already eight above common in opposition to them this yr, which places him in a digital tie with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jacob Wilson for the main league lead. He’s been about common in opposition to sinkers, however in opposition to four-seamers, he’s nonetheless struggling terribly. You need to return to 2021 to discover a season by which he managed a batting common above .181 or a slugging share above .375 in opposition to four-seamers; he hit .261 and slugged .500 in opposition to them in 50 PA that yr. He was eight runs under common in opposition to four-seamers final yr, and is 2 under common this yr, although at the very least his anticipated numbers in opposition to them are good, and he has extra areas within the strike zone the place he’s not a complete pushover:
That stated, if we once more break up Adell’s season utilizing Could 1 because the dividing line, a development towards enchancment turns into clear:
In desk kind:
Jo Adell vs. 4-Seamers, Earlier than and After Could 1
Break up
PA
HR
BA
XBA
SLG
XSLG
WOBA
XWOBA
EV
Whiff%
2025 Through April 30
32
0
.103
.240
.103
.437
.149
.326
90.4
26.2%
2025 Since Could 1
39
3
.235
.326
.559
.738
.384
.478
93.2
25.7%
SOURCE: Baseball Savant
That comparability is night time and day, even when he’s been falling in need of his anticipated numbers over each stretches. Adell nonetheless has some main holes in his swing, however he is usually a productive main leaguer if he continues to deal with the warmth as he has over this latest stretch.
As for Adell’s protection, final yr he proved to be a succesful proper fielder, with 6 DRS and -2 FRV in 1,035 2/3 innings. With the Angels making the long-overdue determination to shift Mike Trout to proper, Adell has been pushed to heart, the place he performed simply 34 innings final yr and simply 122 in his earlier main league profession. The small-sample knowledge recommend he’s stretched: In 42 video games (41 begins) totaling 355 1/3 innings, he has -6 DRS and -4 FRV, in comparison with -1 DRS and 0 FRV in 155 innings in proper throughout Trout’s absence because of a bone bruise in his left knee. It in all probability hasn’t helped that his principal proper discipline neighbors Trout (-3 DRS and -2 FRV in 185 innings) and Jorge Soler (-2 DRS and -3 FRV in 217 innings) — the latter of whom has kind of taken over the place whereas Trout has been restricted to DH obligation since his return on Could 30 — have been subpar. Soler has had a number of seasons with double-digit adverse runs by one metric or one other in proper, together with -10 DRS and -7 FRV in simply 326 innings there final yr. That’s value protecting in thoughts when contemplating Adell’s metrics in heart.
Once I wrote about Adell on Could 13 of final yr, I used to be considerably optimistic he’d turned a nook, although I did conclude that he stays a piece in progress. I’ll say the identical factor this yr, albeit in a extra measured tone. He’s giving off some encouraging indicators, and one can’t fault the Angels’ endurance with him or his willingness to experiment. I don’t suppose Adell will ever attain the ceiling that expertise evaluators anticipated from him, however I do suppose he is usually a productive main leaguer, and after the entire struggles we’ve seen from him, that counts for one thing.
