Angels' Jo Adell Gets Candid About His Long Development Process in MLB

Sep 25, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) runs after hitting a single during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell spoke about his long road to success in the major leagues, stating he wouldn't change how his career has panned out.

Adell has had a breakout year in 2025, crushing 37 home runs and driving home 98 RBIs to set career highs. His .779 OPS is the highest of his career so far as well, and he is set to bat above league average for the first time in his career.

He hadn't been as successful in previous seasons, never posting more than 1.0 bWAR and having several inconsistent stretches at the plate.

“I wouldn’t take any of this back,” he said. “The experience of me tinkering around and trying to find what works. The leg kick. The toe tap. All sort of stuff. My niche is definitely the leg lift. It allows me to put out the same swing consistently.”

Adell has been one of the few bright spots on the Angels' roster in a disappointing season, and it's largely in part to his new, aggressive approach.

“I’m taking a lot of pitches I think I should be hitting early in the count,” Adell said in May. “I’m letting a lot of pitches go by, which is something that I haven’t done in the past. I’ve been aggressive in the zone early.”

His approach has slightly slimmed his strikeout rate, the biggest issue in his game. If the outfielder can further shave his 26.2 percent strikeout rate, he could very well evolve into one of the game's best power hitters.

Interim manager Ray Montgomery also touched on Adell's growth over the course of his career.

“I think the ability to handle failure, the ability to continue to work through failure," Montgomery said of the key to Adell's success. "I don’t think at any point we’ve ever seen any break from the effort. I think understanding who he is, maybe putting aside some of the expectation type stuff.”

While the Angels won't be featuring in the postseason in 2025, many players — especially Adell — took a huge step forward. They'll hope to see more improvement out of their young stars so they can move closer to breaking their 11-season playoff drought.

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.