Underlying numbers hint Jo Adell's star turn could be unfolding for Angels

The story of Jo Adell's career with the Los Angeles Angels has endured many twists and turns. After the Angels drafted him 10th overall back in 2017, Adell quickly established himself as one of the absolute top prospects in baseball. Many tabbed him a potential future superstar in the sport of baseball with nearly unlimited upside given his pure athleticism.

However, that isn't exactly what happened. Despite multiple call-ups to the big leagues starting in 2020, Adell struggled with swing-and-miss concerns and mental lapses at the plate and in the field. Coming into this season, many were wondering if LA was going to finally cut bait with Adell given the number of outfielders they had and the fact that Adell was out of minor league options.

Fortunately for Adell and the Angels, they stuck with him and he has turned into one of their more important and dynamic hitters this season as he sports an .846 OPS through 105 plate appearances this season. Based on Adell's underlying data, the best has yet to come from him.

Angles News: Jo Adell has been really good in 2024 and more is on the way

Bat speed isn't a perfect metric, but it does at least help measure potential a bit. Looking at the company that Adell has in this top 10, that is a lot of guys that can hit the crap out of the ball. Sure, there are some that don't hit the ball enough to take full advantage of their bat speed, but, generally, being mentioned on the same list as Ronald Acuña Jr., Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and Julio Rodriguez is a good place to start.

A deeper look at Adell's Statcast page spurs even more optimism for the outfielder going forward. His expected batting average, expected wOBA, expected slugging, and barrel percentage all rank as elite in 2024. Yes, he still chases out of the zone and whiffs more than one would like, and getting his walk rate to "passable" would be idea, but the quality of his contact cannot be denied.

Ultimately, Adell doesn't have enough games under his belt playing this well to draw too many conclusions just yet. However, with Mike Trout out for a while and the rest of the Angels' lineup either hurt or underperforming, Adell coming into his own after getting one final shot with LA couldn't have come at a better time. Just think what he could do if he starts approaching what his batted ball data suggests he should.

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