Jo Adell looked at his Arizona Fall League assignment and couldn’t help but shake his head.

It was in Mesa, in a split-squad Spring Training game in March against the Cubs at Sloan Park, where he suffered a hamstring and ankle injury that would keep him out of action for close to two months. And here he was heading to play for the Mesa Solar Sox in the AFL, where he’d have to head to the scene of the crime, so to speak, every time he had a home game.

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In many ways, things post-injury went better than expected. There was some thought the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball would miss even more time, but he made it back onto the field on May 24 and back to Double-A Mobile at the beginning of June.

“When I went down with the injury out here, it was crazy,” Adell said. “I didn’t know what the season was going to have in store for me. I didn’t know if I was going to be back at all. I had the hamstring and then rolled the ankle after that, and it felt like, ‘Man, two injuries. How are you going to come back after that?’

“After starting Spring Training really well, to get to the end of Spring Training and you fall down like that. But I got back up. With the help of the medical staff over there, I was able to get back on my feet and get rolling. There was nothing more exciting than getting on the plane and heading to Mobile.”

The 20-year-old outfielder not only got to Mobile, the Angels’ top prospect went to his second straight Futures Game and hit his way to Triple-A Salt Lake, finishing with a combined .289/.359/.475 line over 76 games. Once he got past the initial shock of coming back to Mesa, he couldn’t wait to add some at-bats to his season in the Fall League.

“I heard good stuff from guys who went last year, just the environment and how chill everything was, and the ability to be around a lot of the top guys and get some work in and make up the time you lost and end the season on a good note,” Adell said.

He’ll also continue to work on refining his approach at the plate, something that has come a long way since he was in high school and some scouts worried about the swing and miss in his game. The Angels clearly thought he’d get it, taking him No. 10 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, but even they would likely admit it has come faster than anticipated for Adell.

“Once you get to do this every day and you get to be around professionals who have done it, I knew I had the hunger for it, and I knew that I wanted to be a guy who could learn and soak up as much as I can,” said Adell, who has a career line of .298/.361/.518. “That was the big thing, was learning. I was always an aggressive guy who wanted to get the best swing off, regardless of where I was. Some of those things help me now.

“There’s been a lot of practice and a lot of commitment to my process. It’s a mix; some of the things I did really, really well back in high school, I keep now. You keep the good things you do well, you leave the things you didn’t do so well. I think that’s kind of how that’s molded me into the player that I am.”

Angels hitters in the Fall League

Brandon Marsh, OF (Angels’ No. 2 prospect): The Angels’ second-round pick in 2016 had a solid season in his first taste of Double-A, finishing with a .300/.383/.428 line. But a leg injury cost him a month of the season, and he collected only 360 at-bats as a result. He’s making up for some of those lost at-bats this fall, and those dreaming of a future outfield featuring Marsh and Adell can watch the Mesa Solar Sox as a sneak preview.

Jahmai Jones, 2B (No. 6): In 2018, Jones had an up-and-down year during the regular season, then came out to the AFL and had a strong campaign (.321/.400/.500). He headed back to Double-A hoping that performance would carry over, but he scuffled with Mobile (.234/.308/.324). He did finish the year well, hitting .313/.412/.469 in August, and he’s looking to keep that going with Mesa.

Franklin Torres, C: An infielder for his pro career since signing for $95,000 out of Venezuela back in July 2013, Torres moved behind the plate for the first time in competitive games during the 2019 season. The work with advanced pitchers he’ll get in the AFL will help immeasurably with his work behind the plate, especially since he missed some time on the injured list during the regular season with Class A Advanced Inland Empire.

Angels pitchers in the Fall League

Aaron Hernandez, RHP (No. 14): The Angels’ third-round pick in 2018 out of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Hernandez served mostly as a starter in the California League, though his workload was monitored closely (he threw five innings just twice all year). His plus fastball and breaking stuff, combined with his funky delivery and iffy command, could mean an eventual move to the bullpen.

Nathan Bates, RHP: This is Bates’ second trip to the Fall League; he posted a 2.38 ERA in 11 1/3 relief innings back in 2017. But then he served a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a drug of abuse in 2018 and dealt with injuries both last year and this season. That led to just 12 1/3 IP over the past two seasons combined, so he’s making up for innings and trying to get back on the map this fall.

Isaac Mattson, RHP: Mattson was a 19th-round Draft pick in 2017 out of the University of Pittsburgh who began his first full season in 2018 as a starter but moved to the bullpen after 11 starts. The move has paid off, as the right-hander pitched across three levels and finished the season in Triple-A. A strong stint with Mesa could catapult him to the Angels’ big league bullpen in 2020.

Austin Warren, RHP: Warren was a sixth-round senior sign in 2018 who got just $7.5K to join the Angels. He has already proven to be a bargain by pitching his way to Double-A in his first full season while striking out 12.0 per nine. He also walked 4.7 per nine, something he’ll work on this fall as he continues to put himself on the map.