Los Angeles Angels: Is Jo Adell ready to be an everyday outfielder?

A question that will undoubtedly strike a nerve among Los Angeles Angels fans and one that is on the mind of any MLB-faithful: Is Jo Adell ready for the big leagues?

Adell, the second-ranked prospect in the Angels system in 2018 and the top prospect in 2019 per MLB.com, is once again set to get a significant look in the major league outfield in 2022 for the club.

Unfortunately for both player and team, Jo Adell’s career is off to an atrocious start after horrible offensive production in both 2020 and 2021 for the Los Angeles Angels.

In 2020 at the ripe age of 21, Adell received his first big league call-up after annihilating minor league pitching in the previous three seasons and, perhaps most importantly, needing reps once the minor league season was canceled due to COVID.

Recalled well before he was ready, the Angels found out quickly that Adell was in need of more seasoning at the club’s Triple-A affiliate. In 38 games on the Major League squad, he hit three home runs and struck out in almost 42% of his plate appearances. While strikeouts were always known to be a part of the package with Adell, these numbers wouldn’t cut it at the game’s highest level.

The sweet-swinging righty once again performed admirably in the minors in 2021 and warranted a call-up to the bigs in August, where he still struggled but made some slight improvements, sticking with the big league club for the remainder of the year. In 35 games last season, Adell hit four home runs and improved across the board, including lowering his strikeout rate to just under 23%, an encouraging sign.

In 16 games during Spring Training, he hit three home runs and posted a .286 batting average. Expectations from not only Angels fans but the team’s front office were understandably high. It was beginning to look like the former top prospect was turning a corner.

Here we are today, before action on Tuesday, just four games into the 2022 regular season. While the sample size has been very small and things could certainly change, Jo Adell has been the worst MLB player so far. Through his first 13 plate appearances, Adell has yet to draw a walk and has struck out eight times, good for over 60% of his at bats. One of his two hits has been a home run, but he has looked severely overmatched at the plate.

For the Angels, 23-year old outfielder Jo Adell has looked as overmatched as one can be at the MLB level, striking out 33% of the time and boasting a .202 batting average plus a .250 OBP. Once the Angels top prospect, 2022 will be an important year in determining whether Adell will sink or swim at the highest level of professional baseball.