OC Register: Angels top prospect Jo Adell reflects on difficult learning curve as a rookie

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM — Jo Adell’s rookie season with the Angels — or as much of a season as has been possible in this pandemic-altered world — has not left him feeling too distraught.

“This game is tough and you’re gonna have lumps and you know I knew I was gonna have some things I had to learn and I was gonna have a couple learning curves,” Adell said. “I definitely had my share. But I’m not down about it. I’m not sad. I’m learning. I’m taking notes every day about different things that are new to me and trying to figure out how to make those adjustments and keeping moving forward.”

The 21-year-old Adell reached the big leagues in early August as the most heralded prospect the organization has seen since Mike Trout.

Trout struggled in his first taste of the big leagues as a 19-year-old in 2011, and Adell’s issues have been even more pronounced.

Though 32 games and 121 plate appearances, Adell was hitting .159 with a .480 OPS. He had 49 strikeouts. Although there have been some good moments offensively — a two-homer game, a walk-off hit — his first attempt at hitting big league pitching has not gone well.

Los Angeles Angels’ Andrelton Simmons, right, pours water over Jo Adell while celebrating Adell’s seventh-inning walkoff single against the Houston Astros in the first baseball game of a doubleheader, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Defense has also been an issue, but Adell seems to have cleaned up much of his trouble in the field in just the short time he’s been in the majors.

At the plate, Adell said his biggest issue has been simply trying to learn how big league pitchers are going to approach him.

“When I got up here, I hadn’t faced any of these guys so it’s kind of hard to get a grip on how they’re gonna attack me, how they’re gonna pitch me,” Adell said. “You know you try to take those notes as the game goes, what a guy did against you, so you can write that down and then remember the next time. … I think that’s what I want to improve on, is kind of having a little bit sharper of a game plan.”

Adell said he’s also gone through a couple versions of a two-strike approach, which is obviously something he needs to improve.

Any evaluation of Adell’s rookie season must come with the caveat that he didn’t reach the big leagues in the way prospects do in a normal year.

The coronavirus shut down the sport, and when camp opened in early July Adell had just a month of intrasquad at-bats before he was thrown into the big leagues in early August because of Justin Upton’s slump.

Adell said he is trying to maintain the perspective that he’s still just at the very beginning of what he expects will be a long career.

“I have to look at the bigger picture of things and understand that I don’t have enough at-bats under my belt to have a full level of comfort,” he said. “I’m making adjustments. I’m trying different things out. I’m not afraid to fail if I switch something up in the box. I’m learning myself, learning what these guys are doing to me in the box. And I just have to look at it like, there’s so much time and so much growth left for me. I look at it that way. I’m not really concerned about scrolling through the numbers and whatnot. I’m coming here every day and I’m trying to get better.”

NO OHTANI AGAIN

Shohei Ohtani was not in the lineup for a fourth straight game, with the Angels facing a lefty for the third time in the last four games. They are scheduled to face another lefty on Thursday.

Ohtani, who is hitting .189, has struggled even more against lefties than righties, so manager Joe Maddon doesn’t want him to dig an even deeper hole.

With the Angels still mathematically alive in the postseason chase, Maddon said it’s all about playing the best lineup he can to win each night.

Maddon said there’s nothing physically wrong with Ohtani, and he’s just working on his swing. The forearm issue that prevented Ohtani from pitching has not affected him at the plate, Maddon said.

“We’ll back off him, let him regroup a little bit,” Maddon said. “I really anticipate a good result when he gets back out there.”

ALSO

The Angels brought left-hander Patrick Sandoval back up from Long Beach and optioned Matt Thaiss. Maddon said Sandoval will pitch out of the bullpen for now. Sandoval figured in the Angels plans as a starter before the season, but he struggled and was sent down…

Franklin Barreto, who is out with a shoulder subluxation, still has some pain and fatigue in the shoulder, according to the team’s medical report. The Angels are trying to determine if he needs surgery.

 

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