Following years of setbacks, Adell ready for breakout

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This season figures to go a long way toward deciding Jo Adell's potential future with the Angels -- and he's certainly aware of it.

At one point, Adell wasn't just the club's top prospect, but a top-10 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Next month, Adell, who turns 25 in April, will arrive at Spring Training without a clear path to an everyday spot.

Since making his Major League debut on Aug. 4, 2020, Adell has hit just .214 with 18 home runs and a .625 OPS in 178 games across four seasons. He spent the majority of '23 with Triple-A Salt Lake, where he appeared to have finally been putting it all together only to have an oblique injury derail his season.

Now, Adell enters 2024 as part of an outfield mix that stands to feature Mike Trout in center field, Taylor Ward in left and Mickey Moniak in right. Adell has an inside track to the fourth outfield job, but he's eyeing a bigger role.

Adell is preparing this offseason as if he'll be an everyday contributor -- and it's certainly possible. For one, injuries have limited Trout to just 237 games over the past three seasons. Ward missed the final two months last season due to facial fractures, and Moniak -- once a top prospect himself -- cooled off considerably down the stretch of what began as a breakout season, posting a .984 OPS in the first half but a .670 OPS in the second half.

"For me, this offseason, I focused really on what makes me tick, what makes me get into that mode to produce at the highest level that I can on the most consistent basis that I can," Adell told Trent Rush on a recent edition of the Angels Recap podcast. "I've really taken this offseason to really focus in on those things that maybe I was missing a little bit last year."

Speaking of last year, Adell hit 24 home runs in 74 games with Triple-A Salt Lake -- a 52-homer pace over 162 games -- with a .586 slugging percentage and a .961 OPS.

Adell played well enough to earn a callup on July 4, but he landed on the injured list less than two weeks later with a strained left oblique. That slammed the brakes on Adell's potential breakout season, putting him on the shelf for more than two months before returning in mid-September.

Not only did Adell flash his offensive potential with the Bees last season, but he looked like a more polished defender. After receiving well-below-average marks for his defense from in his first three seasons -- a surprise for the uber-athletic speedster -- Adell played quite well in the outfield last year.

"Obviously, you mentioned the defensive part was huge for me last year -- the improvements that I made," Adell said. "So just kind of running with those and continuing to do the things that allowed me to be that good in the outfield -- as good as I know that I am. And offensively, hone in on that approach and be an athlete. So, for me, I'm excited about what's to come."

Adell has been focused this offseason on sticking to a strict routine. That's something he hopes he can carry over into -- and throughout -- the season.

Adell admitted that he's had trouble finding a consistent routine at times, whether it be switching back and forth from the Minors to Majors; being in and out of the lineup; or dealing with injuries. But he's hoping to hammer out a consistent role in 2024, which could help him unlock another level.

"At a certain point in time, my rhythm, my work is all going to come together because I've been here consistently," Adell said. "For me, that's what I'm shooting for. I'm shooting to make this team and be a consistent piece to where I can go out every day and I have my plan, I know what I'm doing, I've seen these guys before, I've played at this field before, I've been at this level.

"That's really what I'm looking forward to the most. I think that's what's really going to take this thing off -- just being out there and having the ability to showcase what I've got and also the comfort of being in a routine every day."

But perhaps nobody knows better than Adell that there are no givens when it comes to Major League Baseball.

"You've got to be willing to put that level of work in without the guarantee of success," Adell said. "That's what it is. It's a gamble. I do this because I'm not guaranteed it. ... I do it because this is what I'm about, man, and I hope to reap the benefits of what I do."