ANAHEIM – Jo Adell is worth the price of admission.

And this isn’t a prisoner of the moment thing. Not at all. this has been building since 2020, if you want to be honest.

For many, The Jo Adell Game – where he robbed three Seattle Mariners’ homers by leaping over the right field fence in the Los Angeles Angels’ 1-0 victory here on Saturday night – was the moment they took notice of the 26-year-old.

Sure, he’s had moments in his six-year- big league career, but nothing like this. It mad social media buzz in wonderment. The highlight shows had to lead with it.

Once is amazing.

Twice is spectacular.

But three times is suitable for framing, a talking point over coffee and sweet rolls all over MLB America on Sunday morning.

“It was crazy,” said Adell to MLBbro.com before Sunday’s game. “The craziest part, after I caught the first one, the second ball that was hit was very similar – it was like De Javu. I went back to the wall and had my footing from the previous catch. Before I knew it, I had two of them. I was like ‘wow.’

 

“Then we got to the ninth inning and obviously you’re doing whatever you can in the ninth inning to make a play happen.”

 

Even the Mariners – who would have tied the game in the ninth inning on J.P. Crawford’s shot to right field that Adell stole by leaping into the stands to grab the ball – had fun with it.

Outside their clubhouse at Angel Stadium on Sunday, on a white board, read: Game plan. Don’t hit the ball to Joseph Adell.

This is not a fluke; some surprise for those who know the back story. He was considered a top prospect when he was drafted in the 2017 MLB draft. The Angels selected him with the 10th overall pick.

Made his debut in 2020, getting a knock in his first Big League game. He finished his rookie season batting just .161 with three homers and seven RBI in 38 games. It was a bumpy start to this thing that is now humming along. Over four seasons from his debut year, he batted just .214 in 178 games in the majors.

Last season, we saw Adell full blossom as a power hitter. He went from 20 to 37 with authority. He also added a career-high 98 RBI.

For sure, in the Angels’ organization believed he had all the tools: power, speed and a glove. The only question was he kept bouncing up and down between the major and the minors was whether he would be able to put it all together.

Adell is good enough to play centerfield at a high level. He did it last year as the Angels moved Mike Trout, the future Hall of Famer, to right field – in an attempt to cut down on the wear and tear of their oft-injured superstar.

Trout wanted back in at center and Adell moved back to right.

In college, at the University of Louisville, Adell didn’t just rake at the plate, but was a pitcher, too. His junior year, Adell not only hit .449, but also had a 1.55 ERA as a pitcher.

We saw a feat from Adell just a year ago when he became the third Angels player to hit two homers in one inning, in the fifth inning of an 11-1 drubbing of the Tampa Bay Rays. On Sept. 8, he was named AL Player of the Week for the first time his career after hitting .406 with five HRs and 12 RBI in seven games.

Adell has all the makings of a must-see player. Fans saw it on full display. And they will want to witness more.