NEW YORK – MLBbro Jo Adell has become a difference maker for the Angels this season. Entering Friday’s game against the Padres, Adell has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games and has a slash line of .353/.389/.549 with three homers and 10 RBIs during that period.

In Thursday’s 11-4 victory, the Angel in the outfield made the Yankees pay dearly after walking Mike Trout intentionally to load the bases in the eighth inning. With left-hander Ryan Yarbrough on mound, Adell swung at a 0-1 pitch and hit the ball over the right-field fence for his fourth grand slam of his career and that sealed the game for Anaheim. 

Yankees Walk Mike Trout To Load Bases: Then Jo Adell Made Them Pay

Adell understood why Trout was given a free pass because the latter had been vintage Mike Trout in the batter’s box during the four-game series against the Bronx Bombers, going 6-for-16 (.375) with five homers and nine RBIs.

“When I got [to the plate], Yarbrough  is somebody I’ve seen well in the past,” Adell said. “I was trying to envision what it would look like to get a pitch to drive, stay in a good part of the field. I got a pitch to drive.”

A .220 hitter entering the season, Adell has been consistent at the plate because of good buddy and former Major Leaguer Chili Davis. It was at the urging of then-manager Ron Washington who insisted that Adell talk to Davis about the art of hitting. Davis, one of the best switch-hitters and hitting coaches in baseball history, talked to Adell mostly about the mental side of the game. 

“He has been somebody who has really helped me. I still talk to him on a consistent basis,” Adell said. “He is somebody who is special. He knows the game. He did it at a high level. He is a beast.

“When I started working with him, he talked to me about the visuals and what to look for in the box, which is really all mental. If you are looking in the right spots and places, you are giving yourself the best chances. All of our work was about the visual, about what you are seeing. He is instrumental in helping me figure out a way to navigate that for sure.”

Chili Davis Has Helped Jo Adell Elevate His Mental Approach 

One can imagine how Chili Davis is feeling about Adell these days because that latter has been consistent at the plate and hitting for a high batting average for the first time in his career. 

 

“Yeah, which is kind of wild,” Adell said. “With the good decisions and continuing to put the ball in play. … I want to be a tough out. Even if I get out, I’m making loud outs. That’s all you can ask for.”