NEW YORK — Jo Adell has played 100 games since making a decision that may have changed his career.
Before the Angels’ game July 30, 2024, Adell decided that the leg kick he’d used for his entire career wasn’t working, so he scrapped it and simply tapped his toe.
Since then, Adell has hit .230 with 19 homers and a .756 OPS. The major-league average OPS is .712.
About three weeks ago, Adell actually began using a more controlled version of the kick he used before. He calls it more of a “lift.” Adell has hit .290 with eight homers and a 1.030 OPS in 21 games since going to the lift.
“The way I was lifting my leg a year ago, versus the way that I do it now, are two totally different things,” Adell said. “This is more of a lift than like a giant kick. At points last year, it was like a full leg kick, where I was kicking it up and then trying to find the ground. Now it’s just kind of more like a lift. It’s under control.”
Manager Ron Washington said it’s been a good adjustment for Adell.
“It’s not affecting him getting through the zone,” Washington said. “You have to be in your legs. He just had to figure out how he was going to do it.”
If Adell has finally figured out how to get the most out of his talent, it would be a boost to the Angels. Many had given up on the 26-year-old former first-round pick after a series of big-league struggles in his first few years.
Up until the switch last July, Adell had a .206 average with a .633 OPS over his first 274 big-league games. He had struck out 33% of his plate appearances. (His strikeout rate is 25% since the change last year.)
The other element of Adell’s recent transformation is the realization in mid-May that he should not be trying to work counts. Adell’s strategy now is to go up to the plate looking for something to hit hard, and take a hack at the first thing he sees that he can drive.
Adell has hit 10 of his 14 homers on the first pitch, including a game-tying homer Wednesday night. He’s hitting .417 with a 1.767 OPS when he puts the first pitch in play. Adell swung at 56% of first pitches in the zone in April, and that number went up to 66% in May and 63% in June. It’s been especially clear when pitchers have thrown him first-pitch breaking balls in the zone.
“Waiting around and trying to work the count is something that I can do, but for me, personally, if I get a pitch that’s good enough, I’m trying to get out of the at-bat, you know, with a good swing,” Adell said.
A part of cutting down the strikeouts is ending at-bats before he even gets to two strikes.
The aggressive mindset is because Adell has come to grips with the fact that he’s not going to be a high-average, high-on-base percentage hitter.
“When I’m putting swings off, I’m always one swing from changing the game,” Adell said. “That’s kind of my superpower when it comes to what I’m able to do in the box. … I hit for power, and I’m looking for mistakes. And, you know, I’m always, I’m always a couple of pitches away from, you know, putting the team back in the game if need be.”
Washington appreciates how Adell has learned to make the best of who he is as a player.
“He’s getting there,” Washington said. “Last year is included in him getting there. This year, Jo has been allowed to, all of a sudden, get out there every day and show what he can do. You’ve got to take the ups and downs that come along with that. But me, personally, I told you a long time ago, I’m a Jo Adell fan. You give him the at-bats, he’s gonna punch 30 out of the ballpark. You don’t find that. And he’s working hard on his defense. He’s a great teammate. So he has a lot of qualities that you like. And we’re on him, man. We’re on him hard. We told him it we were gonna be on him hard, and he’s accepting the challenge.”
NOTES
Jorge Soler was out of the lineup for the second straight day because of back stiffness, and Washington said he’s set to be evaluated when the Angels return home Friday. Washington said Soler was available to pinch-hit Thursday, but not play in the field. …
Luis Rengifo was out of the lineup for a routine day off, Washington said. Rengifo had hit .310 with an .851 OPS in his last eight games. …
Washington agreed with Logan O’Hoppe’s request to catch Kyle Hendricks on Tuesday, and that allowed O’Hoppe to play three straight games behind the plate. But it meant that O’Hoppe would then have two straight days off, on Thursday and Friday. Travis d’Arnaud caught Tyler Anderson on Thursday, and he is scheduled to catch left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on Friday. …
Washington said there is no more news on third baseman Yoán Moncada (right knee inflammation). He’s been swinging from the left side only.
UP NEXT
Astros (TBD) at Angels (LHP Yusei Kikuchi, 2-6, 3.05), 6:38 p.m. Friday, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM