Is This The Full Potential of Jo Adell? Evolution of the Former Angels 1st Round Pick
September 10, 2025 - Written by Zac Holladay
Photo Credit: @Angels - X
2025 has been a full ride of peaks and valleys for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. One week they are riding on a high of multiple series wins in a row, and then they completely collapse. Their lack of consistency has been their kryptonite as the Halos’ chase for a playoff push is coming to an unfortunate and sudden end. And while the team hasn’t lived up to its full potential, they have taken a massive step up from the previous season as they have already exceeded their 2024 win total of 63. So, no matter what, it is known that the Angels are improving.
In the midst of another mediocre season, outfielder Jo Adell is the obvious choice for the most-improved player on the roster. To this date, he has an outstanding 35 home runs, 94 runs batted in, and an .811 OPS. He has, no doubt, been the most consistent bat in the lineup and could be argued as the most valuable player for the Angels this year.
In a year that had the potential to overload the league with power numbers, Jo Adell was not a name that one would predict to be at the top of the list of power production. With the addition of OF/DH Jorge Soler and guys like Mike Trout, Taylor Ward and Logan O’Hoppe, Jo Adell had no business carrying this offense. But as one thing led to another, the Angels needed someone to rely on.
Back in 2020, when he made Major League Debut, Jo Adell struggled mightily in his first taste of the big leagues. Even when in the minors, it was clear that the former 1st round pick had a considerable strikeout problem. When drafting Adell in the 10th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, his powerful body structure and blazing speed were the tools that opened eyes for scouts. In his initial scouting report, his swing-and-miss attribute was explained heavily. But it was overlooked by the Angels scouting team as his power was too prolific to pass up.
As the seasons went by, Adell had his fair share in call ups. Between 2020 and 2023, the Angels hadn’t seen any real progress from the highly touted prospect. The organization had given him a few chances to break out within the 4 years of experiment, but nothing seemed to click.
Not only was it his bat that wasn’t emerging, but Adell’s defense and baserunning was also a tough scene to experience. The decisions that he would make on the open field were, for the most part, questionable and made the Angels organization wonder if Jo Adell would ever live up to his potential. He had always possessed all 5 tools on a baseball field, but hadn’t expressed any sort of improvement within the “experiment” of maintaining a roster spot for him over the years.
Then 2024 came around. As the Angels had made no move for a stable outfielder, the management had made the decision to let Jo Adell infuse all the majors had to offer and keep him up for a full season. This move, at the time, made it clear that this was the last chance that Adell had to prove he was still talented and a valuable asset to the Angels. And he, indeed, did succeed.
While he didn’t pop off, he showed a decent glimpse of his potential, hitting 20 home runs and driving in 62 runs. The first full season played by Adell was a success in the fact that the Angels had seen a drive in his game to not only produce, but to be a legitimate surge in the lineup. His batting average barely survived over the Mendoza line as a .207 in 130 games was a primary flaw that needed to be fixed.
And that leads to September of 2025. Mike Trout hasn’t hit a home run in over a month, Jorge Soler hasn’t played a Major League game since mid-July, and Logan O’Hoppe has been in a deep struggle to even make contact at the plate. Amidst all the inconveniences this year, Jo Adell has been the reliable run-producer that every team needs. And along with his consistent production, he has been able to come in and deliver in clutch situations. Although the average isn’t where the team and fans would like it to be, it is much improved from seasons prior and is one of the better batting averages on the team.
His defense has also been upgraded as well. In 2025, Jo Adell has 10 defensive runs saved with a .990 fielding percentage. Along with his plus defensive metrics, he is also better on the bases and running in general. His mental game is much improved as Adell’s running and defensive decisions are simply smarter due to his experience.
Jo Adell has improved in every category this year and hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. His value to the Angels is something that they haven’t taken for granted and will be part of the Angels future teams to come. And yet it wasn’t pretty to watch him play when he first came up to the Majors, Adell’s improvement and development is almost as exciting to watch as his performance is here in 2025.
Disclaimer : (1) All photos are not owned by InsideHalos and have been given proper credit beneath each photo. (2) Links of players are property of MLB, MiLB, and Baseball Reference. (3) InsideHalos is a fan-made site not affiliated with Angels Baseball.
