Angels Top Prospect Jo Adell Crushes MLB’s Hardest-Hit Home Run of 2023 in First At-Bat of Season
Talk about capitalizing on an opportunity. Angels outfielder Jo Adell absolutely demolished a 451-foot home run in his first at-bat of the 2023 season on Thursday.
Coming in the second inning of the Angels' game against the Chicago Cubs, Adell put the Halos on the board and tied the game at one run apiece. Later in the inning, Luis Rengifo scored on a sacrifice fly from Taylor Ward to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.
Adell's homer was good for the hardest-hit home run all season at 117.2 mph — the second-hardest-hit homer by an Angel in the Statcast era.
Adell had been having a monster season in Triple-A, and rode his hot hand into his first start of the season. In Salt Lake, the Angels' top prospect sported a .278 batting average with 18 home runs, 43 RBI and a .958 OPS. With such a performance — and such a strong debut — it will be difficult for the Angels to keep Adell in the minors for too much longer.
Adell got the call up after the Angels put outfielder Hunter Renfroe on paternity leave. Renfroe's wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl Wednesday night.
Adell was considered one of the top prospects for the 2017 draft, and was selected by the Angels with the tenth overall selection. Last season, he averaged .224 at the plate with a .637 OPS and 8 home runs. He hasn't been able to translate his success in the minor leagues to prove a viable major leaguer yet, but his 2023 MLB campaign couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
