Angels' Jo Adell Knows His Superpower, And Is Proving It

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell has torn up MLB pitching during June, and believes he's found his stride.

“When I’m putting swings off, I’m always one swing from changing the game,” Adell said. “That’s kind of my superpower when it comes to what I’m able to do in the box. … I hit for power, and I’m looking for mistakes. And, you know, I’m always a couple of pitches away from, you know, putting the team back in the game if need be.”

The 26-year-old has batted .246 during June — a massive improvement from his .212 to start the month — and leads the American League in homers since June 1 with nine.

Adell leads the Angels active roster in slugging percentage with a mark of .481, and his 16 home runs have caught him up to Taylor Ward's 19, the most on the team.

He had two multi-homer games in the first week of the month against the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners.

Adell is well on track to surpass the season highs he set last season in home runs and RBIs, and is on pace to hit above league average for the first time in his career. Adell attributes his success to a new leg kick he has been using over the past few weeks, which he calls more of a "lift" than a kick.

“The way I was lifting my leg a year ago, versus the way that I do it now, are two totally different things,” Adell said. “This is more of a lift than like a giant kick. At points last year, it was like a full leg kick, where I was kicking it up and then trying to find the ground. Now it’s just kind of more like a lift. It’s under control.”

The former first-round pick has had elite bat speed ever since coming to the majors, and this season is no different. He sits in the 99th percentile of average bat speed at 77.4 miles per hour.

Adell is one of many Angels to find a good vein of form this season, and the Angels will hope he can continue to produce as he has this month throughout the remainder of the season.

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