Jo Adell, possibly the best prospect the Los Angeles Angels have had since Mike Trout, struggled as a rookie in 2020, hitting .161 while showing clear defensive struggles.
And while Angels manager Joe Maddon finds it unfair to judge players from such an unconventional season, he also said he believes Adell “needs more time in the minor leagues, no doubt.”
“But I’m sure,” Maddon added Friday, “if you’re given this opportunity, you’ll see what you think you’d see in the first place. It was a tough time for him last year, as he started … – No it started really well for him, and it started spinning really fast, which is the case with a lot of guys who got to the majors in the minor leagues.He needs a normal pattern next year to get rolling. “He has a lot of talent. He has a lot of things for him. He needs a normal year to get his feet back under him.”
Adell, ESPN’s 10th most valued potential before the start of the season, finished 55 times and tied just seven walks during the 60-game season. His .478 OPS was the lowest among players with at least 130 plate appearances; his minus 3 above average placed him within the bottom 20% of players in any position. But Adell is still just 21 years old and entered the 2020 season (one played amid the coronavirus pandemic, with no fans in the stands and no access to the game’s video), which came out of a tough presentation on Triple- To end its 2019 Season.
Maddon said Adell, who started 29 games on the right field and four more in the center, was “rushed” into the majors.
“Evaluating it based on what you saw last year could be very dangerous if you decide to be negative,” Maddon said. “This guy – great athlete, obviously. This guy – really brilliant, great teammate, great work ethic and keeps the information very good. That’s what I learned about him last year.”
With freshman general manager Perry Minasian, the Angels have designed a couple of trades to bring Jose Iglesias and Raisel Iglesias closer together. But they are still looking for at least a front-line pitcher (although Shohei Ohtani is expected to resume his two-way role in 2021 and therefore return to rotation) and an established picker. The presence of Adell and Brandon Marsh gives the Angels a bright future in the outside zone, but Adell’s struggles for 2020 may motivate the team to add more depth to it for the 2021 season.
Maddon stopped declaring that Adell would start next season in the minor leagues, but said, “There are things he definitely has to work on, and he knows it himself. This guy is a good self-assessor, he’s very responsible to himself. , so we just take him camping, let him roll and make our decisions at that moment. “