3 players the Angels organization failed or mishandled

2) LA Angels outfielder Jo Adell was brought up too early

Jo Adell was another first round pick made by the Angels as he was selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. Adell was viewed as a blue chip prospect right away, and was always thought of as a guy who'd be a great co-star in the same outfield as Mike Trout.

It was easy to see why the Angels were so enamored with Adell. His combination of power and speed was and still is something to behold. The problem with Adell was he just wasn't ready.

Adell swung the bat well in the minors, but had very obvious flaws with his approach at the plate which were exposed at the MLB level. Just look at his 2019 season in the minors. Adell had an .834 OPS which is a solid number, but he struck out 94 times in 76 games. Doing that in the minors suggests real issues.

Adell debuted in 2020 and slashed .161/.212/.266 with three home runs in 38 games. Adell struck out 55 times in 124 at-bats, a 41.7% clip. He drew just seven walks. He was simply not ready.

Strikeouts have been a common theme for Adell in the majors as he's fanned at a 34.8% clip. He's walked just 4.7% of the time. He's performed poorly both on the bases and in the field. The tools are easy to see, but they just haven't translated.

The tools not translating isn't for a lack of a chance. Thaiss was moved around and blocked. He never really got a fair shot outside of the 2019 season. Adell on the other hand has been given chances and done nothing with them.

The Angels DFA'd Justin Upton last season to open up playing time for both Adell and Brandon Marsh. Adell played in 88 games last season and had a .637 OPS. He struck out 107 times while drawing just 11 walks.

I still have a glimmer of hope for Adell to reach that unlocked potential. He's walking more in the minors now, as he's drawn 13 walks in 20 games. He's still striking out too much (28 K's), but Adell has swung the bat well in Salt Lake. If it doesn't work here, it could work somewhere else. I still think if the Angels gave him more time to develop instead of calling him up as a raw 21-year-old, he would've been a much better player than he is right now.