This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ANAHEIM -- Jo Adell’s unbelievable performance in right field on Saturday didn’t happen by accident.
Angels fans surely remember Adell’s defensive struggles early in his career, especially in his rookie season in 2020, when he infamously made a rare four-base error with a ball hitting off his glove, allowing batter Nick Solak to score. But Adell has put in the work to become a solid defender, as evidenced by being a Gold Glove finalist in right field in ’24.
Last year was more of a mixed bag, because he had a tough time adjusting to playing center, but now that he’s back in right this year, he’s certainly made the most of it. It all came together in Saturday’s incredible 1-0 win over the Mariners that saw him rob not one, not two but three homers in what’s believed to be an unprecedented occurrence. No player had done it since home run tracking began in 2004, and no team had ever even had three home run robberies in a game since then either, per Sports Info Solutions.
“Obviously, defense was something that I struggled with when I first came up, and [I'm] just finding ways to improve and get better and find a way to learn,” Adell said. “And at the end of the day, I think defense is one of those things where it's just about trying to get the job done, doing what we can to try to win.”
Torii Hunter, a nine-time Gold Glover and current special assistant with the Angels, has played a big role in mentoring Adell and helping him become better defensively. Hunter also coincidentally happened to be at the game, watching the catches from the dugout, and said he almost passed out after Adell’s catch in the ninth that saw him end up in the stands in the right-field corner. Adell triumphantly raised his glove to signify he made the catch, creating an epic photo taken from behind that will long be part of Angels lore.
“This guy's been working his butt off defensively,” Hunter said. “He looks really good. He looks confident. And after what he did, man, his stock should be going way up. I'm proud of him. I've seen the work he's put in to be one of the best right fielders in the game.”
Adell said Hunter spent time sitting next to him at his locker before the game and joked that maybe some of Hunter’s defensive prowess rubbed off on him. But robbing homers is nothing new for Adell, as he’s taken away 10 since 2020, which is tied with Kyle Tucker for the most in baseball, per Inside Edge. Adell said Hunter has helped with his mentality more than anything.
“It's been huge,” Adell said. “It's a mindset of going to get the baseball and being aggressive. I think defense early on, for me, I felt like I was kind of caught in between on a lot of plays. And sometimes that happens and that's part of the game, but just erring on the side of being aggressive and trying to make the plays, you'd be surprised how many you make. And that's kind of our mindset. That's the mindset that he had for all those years where he played and won all those Gold Gloves.”
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki has also watched Adell evolve into a better fielder over the years. Suzuki played with the Angels in 2021 and ’22, when Adell was getting his first taste of the Majors, with 35 games in '21 and 88 in '22.
Suzuki joined the front office in ’23, but it was a lost year for Adell, who dealt with an oblique strain that kept him out for several months and played just 17 games in the Majors that season. But Adell has become a regular since ’24 and Suzuki has enjoyed watching him grow from being considered a slugger with below-average defense into a more well-rounded player. So, even though Adell is off to a slow start in the power department, and didn't hit his first homer of the year until Monday, he’s still able to impact games in other ways.
“I played with Jo four years ago and he was younger and coming into the league,” Suzuki said. “And now to see him with all the work that he puts in every single day, the care that he has for his teammates, and becoming that type of leader, is pretty cool.”