One of the benefits of a bad season is that plenty of previously unknown players get a chance to step up, and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell has definitely been one of them. After being named AL Player of the Week recently, Adell has once again resumed his hard-hitting ways, coming through with two hits and a home run in last night’s 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
No one expected this from Adell, perhaps least of all the Angels themselves. Adell spent a good chunk of last season on the injured list due to an oblique strain, which made him a mystery coming into this year.
Adell has shown flashes, however. He did manage to hit 20 home runs to go with 62 RBIs last year despite his time on the shelf, and Adell even stole 15 bases to go with those power numbers. Before that he was basically a non-entity on a struggling team with little star power.
Now he’s a valuable commodity. Adell’s homer against Seattle was his 36th, and he’s got a chance to hit 40 home to go with 100 RBIs. His once-negative bWAR has risen to 1.6, largely because Adell is making more contact this year. Simply put, he’s landed himself squarely on the short list of the most improved players in the game.
The outfielder is a bargain at just over $2 million this season, but Adell will undoubtedly get a big arbitration bump. He’s under team control for another year after that, and the Angels would be smart to lock him up at a higher money number that reflects both his impressive numbers and the suddenness of his rise to become a top slugger.
One mystery that needs to be solved is Adell’s occasional struggles with vertigo and nausea. They took him out of the lineup for a couple of games earlier this week, and both the player and the club need to figure out if there’s something more serious going on with his health.
Another issue with Adell is his positional value. He’s not a great center fielder, and columnist Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe suggested that he’d be more effective as a corner outfielder. A move to right might make sense given the status of current DH Mike Trout.
Wherever he plays, the Angels need his bat. With Trout trying to save his career, Adell has become a key player as the Halos try to define their core with the season winding down.