{"id":4272688,"date":"2024-04-25T08:30:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T15:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688///wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//www.sbsun.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//?p=4272688&preview=true&preview_id=4272688"},"modified":"2024-04-25T08:31:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T15:31:09","slug":"new-approach-has-angels-jo-adell-primed-for-extended-playing-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688///wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//www.sbsun.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//2024/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//04/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//25/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//new-approach-has-angels-jo-adell-primed-for-extended-playing-time/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688//","title":{"rendered":"New approach has Angels/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019 Jo Adell primed for extended playing time"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANAHEIM /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2014 Back in the first week of the season, Jo Adell was at the plate in Miami, with an 0-and-2 count. There was one out, and a runner at third base./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Adell punched a fly ball into right field, making a routine out but driving in a run./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

That snapshot illustrated the progress for a player who might, finally, be finding his footing in the majors./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cAbsolutely,/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d Adell said, recalling that moment. /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cJust slow the game down, look at what the situation was. There was a chance to score a run. Whatever the thought process of what I wanted to do personally was out the window at that point./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Aside from simply hitting a fly ball, Adell managed to make contact on an 0-and-2 count and hit the ball the other way, which have been two of the keys to his early-season success./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cI think before this year, he was all pull,/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d Angels manager Ron Washington said. /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cWe challenged him in spring training to use the right side of the field. Hit some balls between first and second. Hit some balls in the right-center field alley, and he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s taken to it. It/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s sort of opened up his offensive game. He/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s not just one dimensional. The results are starting to pay off./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

While it/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s too early to say definitively that Adell, 25, has truly arrived after a few years of failing to meet the lofty expectations his prospect status brought, the signs are encouraging./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Adell is hitting .316 with two home runs and a .925 OPS through 43 plate appearances. Coming into the season, he had a .214 average with a .625 OPS./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Adell has pulled 27.5% of his balls in play this season, down from 43.8% prior to this season. Both of his homers are to right field./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Adell has cut his strikeout rate from 35.4% to 23.2%. He already has five hits in 22 at-bats with two strikes, a .228 average. Adell came into the season with a .149 average with two strikes. The major league average this season is .165./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cHuge credit to him,/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d hitting coach Johnny Washington said. /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cThe hitting staff put together a plan. He embraced it. It/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s been a huge change for him. He/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s comfortable with it. It/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s just about him getting more reps, trying to stay disciplined in the routine and his process. When he gets an opportunity to play, just go in there and win pitches, win at-bats./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Opportunity has come and gone for Adell. At times, like when he was first promoted to the major leagues as a 21-year-old in 2020, Adell received opportunity when he probably wasn/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019t ready. Adell hit .161 in that first season, striking out in 41.6% of his plate appearances./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

After that, the Angels continued putting veterans ahead of him on the depth chart for the next few years. The idea was to avoid handing Adell a job until he proved he had made the necessary adjustments./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Although he tore up Triple-A in 2021, 2022 and 2023, many of the same problems surfaced each time he got a taste of the majors. He struck out too much, with a pull-heavy, over-swinging approach./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Those issues prevented him from getting the most out of his elite power and speed./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

With new hitting coaches this year, Adell has finally made significant changes./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cFor me, it/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s just getting there and looking for a pitch to hit and not looking to do too much, just simplifying what I/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019m trying to do,/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d Adell said. /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cIf they make a mistake, I/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019ll be able to put one in the seats, but that/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s not the primary goal. … I think that/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s shrunk the zone for me, and I/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019ve made better decisions. It/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s been more consistent, so I/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019m going to stay the course with that./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Adell said now he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201ca lot shorter to the ball/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d and he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s focused on hitting the ball up the middle. Adell said he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s more conscious of simply putting the ball in play because even poorly hit balls can be hits because of his speed./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cAnytime I put the ball in play,/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d he said, /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cI put pressure on the defense./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

And he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s not focused on pulling the ball over the fence because he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s confident he can hit it over the right field fence too./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

His improved approach has finally won him increased playing time. During the first two weeks of the season, Adell was clearly behind Mickey Moniak and Aaron Hicks on the depth chart. Now, Adell has started seven of the last 10 games. Moniak and Hicks have both slumped, so Adell seems primed to get some runway for extended playing time./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cWe haven/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019t been doing much offensively, and the times that he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s played, he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s done something,/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d Ron Washington said. /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201cThe more you do, the more playing time you get. Right now, he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s getting playing time./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u201d/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

While Washington has appreciated Adell/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s improvement at the plate and in the field, the Angels are working through some base running issues with him./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n

Adell has stolen five bases, but he/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/u2019s been caught four times. He was credited with a stolen base when he ran past second base and was tagged out on April 10./wp-json/wp/v2/posts/4272688/n