Jo Adell Is Becoming An Accomplished Outfielder Who Has A Former Star In His Corner

Outfielder Jo Adell has had a strange season defensively. The Los Angeles Angels right fielder went into the season not knowing which outfield position he’d be taking, and it was only when Mike Trout took over in center that Adell’s position became solid. 

Then he had that remarkable game where he took away three homers at the wall, including the most iconic robbery of the batch when he wound up visiting some Angels fans in the right field corner. After that there was a stretch where nothing much of note happened, followed by an unfortunate incident when Adell had a ball bounce off his glove, then his head, to wind up as a home run. 

Through it all, though, Adell has a mentor to help him stay the course and stay steady. Torii Hunt is a member of the Angels front office, and he knows what it’s like to make game-saving plays on defense along with the inevitable, occasional gaffe that winds up on a blooper reel. 

“He’s just always been in my corner,” Adell said in a piece written by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “It’s really cool to have him be part of my story.”

As for Hunter, he’s enjoying this process as well. Adell was rated a minus outfielder in center field last year, which stung even though hewas obviulsy playing out of position. 

“I'm proud of him,” Hunter said. “I've seen the work he's put in. He could be one of the best right fielders in the game.”

That position might have been passable early in the season, then questionable after that dubious head shot. But it’s important for Adell to have a sounding board, and Hunter fits the bill and then some for that. 

“Torii's the type of guy you can talk to about anything,” Adell said. “He’s been such a great guy to spit baseball stuff with, but really just talk about other things in life more than just the game. So I’ve loved having him around, and him being a text message away all the time has been really, really cool.”

Manager Kurt Suzuki has a unique take on this. He’s been teammates with both Adell and Hunter during his long career as a big league catcher, so he understands more than anyone what both players bring to the table. 

“The biggest thing Torii brings is the experiences he’s encountered,” said Suzuki. “He used to tell me about how he went through his ups and downs, but learned from guys like Tom Kelly. So I think sharing that with Jo really has helped him understand the process. Jo has the tools, so it’s just been fun watching what he’s become.”