Angels' Jo Adell Has Made 2 Big Changes That Are Paying Off Big Time

Two of Los Angeles Angels center fielder Jo Adell's home runs since May 6 have come on the first pitch of the at-bat, and all three have come using the torpedo bat he adopted in April.

Adell spoke to the Orange County Register about being more aggressive in his at bats, and it seems to be paying off as the three home runs more than doubled his tally before Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays.

“I’m taking a lot of pitches I think I should be hitting early in the count,” Adell said at the time. “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.”

The center fielder hit an important first-pitch home run against the Orioles in the bottom of the fourth inning Saturday night. The Angels went on to win the game 5-2.

“He’s starting to have better thought process at the plate, and if his thought process is better, the results are going to be better,” Angels manager Ron Washington said, via the Orange County Register. “He was very aggressive tonight, and that’s what he has to stay, because they really haven’t been throwing him balls. They’ve been throwing him strikes, and you’ve just got to start getting them off that strike zone, and then they’ll start making some mistakes. So every time they’ve made a mistake the past three games that he’s played, he’s made them pay for it.”

Adell was the first Angel to give torpedo bats a try, and it seems to be helping his production. The Yankees debuted the torpedo bat in their opening series against the Brewers in 2025, during which they hit 14 home runs.

Adell's batting average hasn't moved much since he began swinging with the torpedo bat April 16, but his slugging percentage has risen from .333 to .370 in less than a month.

The Angels hope to continue to see power production from Adell as they head into a three-game series in San Diego against the Padres Monday evening.

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