An outlook at the LA Angels non-roster OF’ers in Spring Training

Jo Adell

Jo Adell isn’t just the biggest name in the Angels farm system, he’s one of the biggest prospect names in baseball. Last year (2018) witnessed a breakthrough season in which Adell slashed a line of .290/.335/.543 with 20 HR’s and 32 doubles in 440 Plate Appearances. As a first round draft pick his stock was already pretty high coming into the organization and even then his stock still hit a meteoric rise after his 2018 season. Jo Adell showed off a lot of tools that brought comparisons to Mike Trouts development, not a straight skill-to-skill comparison but more of a parallel in developmental excellency.

One of the first things you notice about Adell is his elite-mentality; he doesn’t just play the game, he seeks to dominate it. With that you wouldn’t be surprised to see his rock-solid confidence reflect into the excellency of his game. One of his most valuable skills is his ability to adjust on every level. There are many prospects and even big leaguers who takes days, weeks, or even months to make adjustments. Jo Adell’s ability to fine-tune his approach on the fly sets him apart into the most elite class of athlete. It’s almost not an exaggeration to say that Jo Adell can make adjustments mid-pitch.

This Spring Training won’t be an opportunity for Adell to make the Opening Day roster, it’s simply a chance to get big league looks without exposing him to too much pressure. Essentially this is an experience for him to take back to the minors and use as a benchmark for where he needs to be when he is truly ready for the big leagues. He’ll be 19 this Spring Training, soon to turn 20, and unless he absolutely forces the managements hand with a legendary Spring Training we likely won’t see him make the roster.

However, we can look forward to the possibility of Adell joining the team in the latter half of 2019. From there we’ll be able to make more concrete trajectories towards his MLB outlook. For now let’s just sit back and watch one of the hottest prospects in all of baseball at work.