Jo Adell has had the makings of a superstar for a while. On Saturday, he tapped into that potential.
The Angels’ top prospect went 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk-off single to power the Halos to a 10-9 triumph over the Astros in the first game of a doubleheader at Angel Stadium. He plated three runs, matching the career high mark he established eight days earlier.
Adell has struggled a bit throughout his first taste of Major League ball, but he believes a performance like this will help him begin to overcome those growing pains.
“It definitely elevates it, for sure,” he told MLB.com. “A big game like that, you want to take that in and run with it and try to bring that version of yourself out as much as you can."
The Louisville native struck out looking in his first trip to the plate but more than made up for it the second time around. Leading off the fourth inning, he belted a homer off Astros No. 12 prospect Brandon Bielak, depositing the third offering from the right-hander into the covered right field seats. It was Adell’s third big fly of the year -- and his big league career -- and tied the game at 4-4.
MLB.com’s No. 5 overall prospect again led off the inning in the sixth but lined out to left field, despite putting some good wood on the ball. Los Angeles took the lead a few at-bats later, but Houston answered with three runs in the seventh and final frame to claim a 9-7 advantage.
It quickly became clear that it wouldn’t last.
Astros No. 28 prospect Blake Taylor issued walks to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to start the bottom of the inning and was replaced by 13th-ranked Enoli Paredes, who surrendered an RBI double to Justin Upton that narrowed the gap to one.
Paredes struck out Franklin Barreto, bringing Adell to the dish with one out and runners on second and third. He worked a 2-1 count against the right-hander before turning on a 94 mph fastball, shooting it down the first-base line and easily bringing in Ohtani and Upton to set off a celebration.
"It's pretty exciting,” Adell said. “I just told myself that I was gonna have to get him over the plate and try to attack something the other way, and I executed it. So it's pretty exciting to have a plan against a good reliever and produce."
Angels manager Joe Maddon obviously was delighted to see Adell help the team win but was even more excited to see the 2017 first-round pick make another big stride in his development.
“He's settling into becoming more of a player with a better feel and better at-bats," Maddon told MLB.com. "He's been making adjustments. It's a nice first step for him."
It was the first walk-off hit for Adell and came in his 24th big league appearance. It was the fourth such victory for Los Angeles this season and the second straight contest the Halos walked it off after Ohtani plated Trout in the 11th inning on Friday.
And while Adell’s offensive outburst was instrumental, his defensive efforts helped set the tone early. When George Springer belted the third pitch of the game to deep right field, Adell tracked it back to the fence before crashing into the wall back-first to save an apparent home run.
Adell is batting .176/.239/.306 with three homers, seven RBIs and six runs scored. He’s struggled at times but also has shown flashes of his tremendous potential on multiple occasions, including a two-homer effort on Aug. 29.
Bielak was charged with four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings. Taylor allowed two runs on two walks while recording two outs and Paredes took the loss after retiring one batter and giving up a run on two hits.
Rockies 5, Dodgers 2
For the second game in a row, No. 2 overall prospect Gavin Lux reached base twice for the Dodgers. He doubled to right field against German Marquez in the second inning and drew a walk in the fifth. Los Angeles' top prospect also lined out to left field and struck out but is 4-for-13 in his last five games to get his batting average up to .174. No. 21 Victor Gonzalez fanned three over 1 2/3 perfect innings for the Dodgers, while 18th-ranked Rockies prospect Josh Fuentes delivered a two-run pinch double in the ninth. Box score
Giants 4, D-backs 3
Top San Francisco prospect Joey Bart went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. MLB Pipeline's No. 13 overall prospect struck out in his first appearance and grounded out in the next one but came through in the sixth inning with a triple that scored Brandon Belt and extend the Giants' lead to 3-1. He scored on another triple by Mauricio Dubón. It was the first big league three-bagger for Bart, who's batting .271/.352/.375 through 14 games. For Arizona, No. 3 prospect Daulton Varsho clubbed his first Major League homer, a solo shot into McCovey Cove in the seventh. It was his only hit and he has a .156/.224/.267 slash line with three RBIs and five runs scored through 20 games. Box score
Twins 4, Tigers 3
No. 47 overall prospect Tarik Skubal pitched well enough to win his second straight start before the Twins walked off with the victory. He allowed one run on two hits over a career-high six innings, striking out six and issuing a pair of walks. The fifth-ranked Tigers prospect blanked Minnesota until pinch-runner Jake Cave scored on a double play in the fifth and exited with a 2-1 lead. No. 6 Detroit prospect Isaac Paredes went 0-for-3. For the Twins, 12th-ranked Brent Rooker was 1-for-2 before leaving for a pinch-runner and No. 6 Ryan Jeffers went 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts. Box score
Mets 5, Phillies 1
Third-ranked Mets prospect Andres Gimenez was perfect at the dish in his second straight two-hit game. He went 2-for-2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, a stolen base, two RBIs and two runs scored. The 22-year-old has boosted his batting average 34 points to .288 in a little over 24 hours. Top Phillies prospect Alec Bohm singled in four at-bats. Box score
Orioles 6, Yankees 1
No. 100 overall prospect Ryan Mountcastle muscled a two-run single to center field off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and came around to score in a five-run sixth inning for Baltimore. It was the only hit in four plate appearances for the Orioles' No. 5 prospect, who has nine RBIs in his last seven games. No. 15 Keegan Akin danced around three hits and four walks over 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He struck out eight in his second straight start without yielding an earned run. Yankees No. 15 prospect Miguel Yajure relieved Cole and gave up a run on two hits with two strikeouts over the final two innings. Box score
Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 8
No. 3 Red Sox prospect Bobby Dalbec ended his slump in a big way. Hitless in his previous 14 at-bats, he just cleared the Green Monster in left field for a solo homer that capped a four-run second inning. In the fourth, he singled to right field for his first multi-hit game since homering in his big league debut on Aug. 30. Blue Jays No. 11 prospect Anthony Kay struck out two in a scoreless inning, working around a hit and a walk. Box score
White Sox 5, Royals 3
Seventh-ranked Royals prospect Kris Bubic remained winless, despite pitching a career-high seven innings. He gave up all five runs -- two earned -- on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts, bringing his ERA down to 4.89. The 2019 Minor League strikeouts leader surrendered two-run homers to Jose Abreu in the opening frame and Yasmani Grandal in the fifth. No. 3 White Sox prospect Nick Madrigal went 0-for-3, going hitless for the first time in seven games since coming off the Injured List. Box score
Athletics 8, Padres 4
Tenth-ranked A's prospect Jonah Heim recorded his first big league multi-hit game, delivering run-scoring singles from both sides of the plate. For the Padres, No. 13 prospect Jake Cronenworth capped a two-run eighth inning with an RBI single, his only hit in four trips to the plate. No. 10 Jorge Mateo went 0-for-4 and struck out twice for San Diego. Box score
Mariners 5, Rangers 3
Joey Gerber, Seattle’s No. 21 prospect, got into the win column after dealing out a near-spotless eighth inning. The right-hander allowed one hit, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double and Gerber ended the frame with a groundout and a strikeout. He lowered his ERA to 3.60 through 11 appearances. Fifth-ranked Evan White contributed an RBI single in four at-bats. Rangers No. 7 prospect Anderson Tejeda went 2-for-3 and clubbed his second homer in just his fifth Major League appearance. No. 3 Leody Taveras singled and walked in four plate appearances, boosting his line to .211/.318/.289 through 12 games. Box score
Nationals 10, Braves 4
Luis Garcia, Washington’s second-ranked prospect, was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and was part of a sixth-inning rally that put the Nats ahead for good. After top prospect Carter Kieboom walked and Brock Holt singled him to third, Garcia laced a sharp single to tie the game at 4-4. Holt scored the go-ahead run on a bunt single by Victor Robles, but Garcia was stranded at second. He doubled in Kieboom and Holt in a four-run ninth and is hitting .301/.329/.397 through 21 games. Kieboom was 1-for-4 with the walk, two runs scored and an RBI after singling home Trea Turner in the first. Box score
Marlins 7, Rays 3
No. 19 prospect Randy Arozarena went 2-for-2 off the bench in the Rays' loss. As a pinch-hitter, he singled to right field off left-handed reliever Richard Bleier in the seventh inning. Two innings later, he legged out an infield hit on a roller to second base against southpaw Brandon Leibrandt. The 25-year-old has a .364/.500/.636 slash line in five games since joining the big club. Box score
Cardinals 4, Cubs 2 (1st game)
Top St. Louis prospect Dylan Carlson went 0-for-3, leaving him with one hit in his last six games. Cubs No. 6 prospect Adbert Alzolay suffered the loss after giving up two runs on two hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four and has a 2.08 ERA in three appearances this year. Box score
Cardinals 5, Cubs 1 (2nd game)
After starter Colin Rea was pegged for four runs over two innings, Cubs No. 23 prospect Tyson Miller helped steady the ship with three solid frames. The right-hander allowed a run after the first batter he faced doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly but was perfect the rest of the way. He knocked his ERA down to 5.40 in two Major League outings. Box score
Reds 6, Pirates 2
No. 6 Reds prospect Jose Garcia went 0-for-4, his second straight hitless game. Pirates No. 25 prospect Anthony Alford walked in his lone plate appearance but left with a fractured right elbow after crashing into the wall chasing a fly ball. The Pirates claimed Alford off waivers from the Blue Jays late last month. Box score
Jordan Wolf is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter: @byjordanwolf.
