Red-hot Adell smashes 460-foot home run

Jo Adell hasn’t stopped hitting homers since he fell short of making the Angels’ Opening Day roster, and his third in as many games was the best one yet.

In Triple-A Salt Lake’s 6-5 win over Albuquerque on Thursday night, Adell took a 3-1 fastball from right-hander Karl Kauffman and deposited it 460 feet over the center-field wall at Isotopes Park. The third-inning two-run shot was Adell’s eighth homer in 12 career games at the hitter-friendly ballpark. It was also the third-farthest hit at Triple-A this season, according to Statcast.

What a week and series it's been for Adell, who lined a 388-foot solo homer to right field in Wednesday’s 4-2 Bees victory, and lofted another opposite-field shot (395 feet) in Tuesday’s loss at Albuquerque in the series opener. Through six games, the former top prospect is batting .350/.500/1.450 with three homers, nine RBIs, and maybe most notably, more walks (five) than strikeouts (foour).

That is, in short, exactly what the Angels hoped they’d see from Adell, after he ended up being squeezed out of the Angels' outfield picture by offseason acquisitions Hunter Renfroe and Brett Phillips. The decision came at the end of a spring in which Adell got plenty of opportunities (48 at-bats) and showcased his signature power with four long balls, but also the plate discipline issues (22-2 K/BB ratio) that have plagued his three partial seasons in the Majors.

So Adell began the year at Triple-A Salt Lake, where is he comprises an outfield with fellow high-profile former first-round pick Mickey Moniak. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 Draft joined the Angels as part of last summer’s deadline deal with the Phillies for Brandon Marsh. Adell was the 10th overall pick in 2017, and the Angels’ top prospect for years afterward as he dominated the Minors at every level ahead of his big league debut in 2020 at age 21.

Adell is still only 23, so there is plenty of time for him to realize the enormous potential his tools and ability have always hinted at. But at the highest level, the results haven’t been there. Adell is a .215/.260/.356 hitter with 16 home runs and an alarming 194-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 161 career big league games, and he rated as a below-average defensive outfielder in 2022. After posting a slash line of .224/.264/.373 with eight homers and 107 strikeouts in 88 games with the Angels last year, Adell spent the winter revamping his body and swing at the club's spring training facility in Arizona, reportedly missing time only for Christmas. His work ethic garnered glowing reviews from teammates and officials this spring, even as his production didn't jump off the page.

Jo Adell homered today but #Angels manager Phil Nevin again praised Adell for his improvements defensively. He's looked much better in left field this spring and made a great catch up against the LF fence. Nevin said Adell deserves credit for the hard work he's put in.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) March 19, 2023

Perhaps this is the result. Albuquerque is a great place to hit, and the season is only a week old. But Adell’s hot start isn’t bad news for him nor the Angels, and it’s a positive sign after he worked with new big league hitting coach Marcus Thames on making better swing decisions this spring. And it's great news for Salt Lake, which sports an exciting roster with Adell, Moniak, Los Angeles' No. 4 prospect Chase Silseth and No. 16 Livan Soto.

Adell's prospect shine may have faded, but his light-tower power, at least, remains plain to see. If he can keep tapping into it consistently, he could be back in Los Angeles in no time.