MLB Scout's Video View: Analyzing Angels Prospect Jo Adell

Image credit: Angels outfielder Jo Adell (Photo by Alex Trautwig/Getty)

While the game is away, Baseball America is digging into its video database and asking scouts around the game to analyze what they see from some of the sport’s best prospects. Today’s subject is Angels outfielder Jo Adell, who ranks No. 3 on our Top 100 Prospects list.

Adell’s 2019 season was slowed by injuries to his hamstring and ankle in the early months, but he rebounded to jump from high Class A Inland Empire to Triple-A Salt Lake by the end of the year. In all, Adell, who won’t turn 21 until April 8 (the day before the minor league season was slated to begin), hit .289/.359/.475 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs in 76 regular-season games.

He furthered his season with stints in the Arizona Fall League and with Team USA as it attempted to qualify for the Olympics.

You can see our previous scout’s video view featuring Nationals infielder Luis Garcia here.

Here’s what our scout had to say:

Scout: The ball off this guy’s bat just sounds different. He’s built like an NFL player with the strength to match. He has plus bat speed and really impacts the baseball in the middle of the plate.

The balls he hits the hardest are the line drives that are 8 feet off the ground but go 360 feet in less than a second. Once he learns how to consistently lift the baseball, he is going to have plus power. He can mis-hit baseballs a long way.

I also see this guy being an average MLB hitter with damage potential, but he is going to strike out. He is a little overaggressive in the box at times and wants to hit. He will chase pitches out of the zone and takes a similar approach with two strikes as well, which I think is some of the reason for the strikeouts.

With most power potential type guys, there is swing-and-miss in the path in the strike zone. I don’t know if that aspect is ever going to change, but he is an aggressive hitter who pitchers know can hurt them if they make a mistake, so I am OK with that.

I think with some cleanup to the out-of-zone chase, the strikeout percentage will come down slightly. He is only 20 years old and in Triple-A, so some of his overall development may get finished off in the major leagues but this guy shows you every tool that you want to see.

I wouldn’t write this guy off yet in center field but obviously he isn’t going to be playing center field for the Angels any time soon. I have seen him in both corners and he has a chance to be a good defender in either spot. He has enough arm for right field and gets going well off the bat on his reads and breaks. He can go straight back on balls over his head and can cover ground in the gap.

He Is an aggressive defender who will take some chances on plays that he might not have a real chance on, but again, chalk that up to youthful aggression and see his decisions getting better in time.

Premium athlete/strength combination here. Think starting him in 3A (Triple-A) vs crafty, veteran type pitching will do him some good to polish up the approach at the plate. There is real power in the bat here and he certainly has shown the ability to be a solid hitter in the minor leagues. Will get himself out from time to time but has age on his side and really think this will be a guy who continues to develop in the big leagues. This guy is a plus player who will hit in the middle of a lineup and be a threat in the box. Good enough outfielder that you can hang onto CF if on a different club that doesn’t have the premier player in the game currently playing CF for them. See an all-star caliber player here.