CLEVELAND — By joining the Guardians, outfielder Jo Adell has reunited with a former travel baseball teammate with whom he shared big-league dreams as a teenager.
Adell and Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams played together for Canes National while they were in high school.
When the Guardians acquired Adell in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, Aug. 3, shortly before the MLB trade deadline, his history with Williams made the move a bit more special on a personal level.
“He’s probably one of the nicest guys ever,” Williams said of Adell on Wednesday, Aug. 5. “He means well, and he cares for everybody. He’s a team guy, too. He’s awesome.”
Adell started in right field in each of his first two Guardians games, a 6-5 loss to the New York Mets in 10 innings on Aug. 5 and a 6-2 defeat against the Mets on Aug. 4. He went 0-for-5 with a walk and a run scored on Aug. 5 and 2-for-4 with a walk and a run in his Cleveland debut on Aug. 4.
“You can see the impact he’s going to make right away,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
The Guardians (57-58) traded catching prospect Jacob Cozart to the Angels in exchange for Adell, whom LA chose in the first round (No. 10 overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky. The Guardians had organizational depth at catcher and needed a powerful right-handed bat who excels against lefty pitching. Adell fits the description.
“I didn’t get called here to do anything different than what I do and to be the player that I am, and they want me to be who I am,” Adell said. “So, that’s my goal is just to go out and be the player that I am and whichever way that fits.”
With the Angels this season, Adell played 111 games and batted .239 with 62 RBIs, 16 home runs, 16 doubles, a triple and three stolen bases. He also posted a .682 OPS. Against left-handed pitching this season, he hit .303 with 29 RBIs, 10 home runs and a .909 OPS as a member of the Angels.
“He brings everything [to this team],” Williams said. “He’s a five-tool player, one of the best in the game.”
For more than a decade, Williams and Adell have been aware of each other’s talent. Williams grew up in North Carolina. Adell was born in North Carolina, but his family moved to Kentucky when he was 7. Travel ball united Williams and Adell, both of whom are 27. Williams said Texas Rangers pitcher MacKenzie Gore was also on their Canes National team.
Williams still marvels at the shows Adell would put on during batting practice.
“He was a freaking beast,” Williams said. “I mean, he still is, but he looked the same back then as he does now. He was hitting nukes, hitting the ball hard. I mean, just watching his BP back then was probably one of the most impressive things at 16 years old. It’s still impressive.”
The feeling is mutual.
“He always had an arm, I’ll tell you that,” Adell said of Williams. “But just to see how much better he’s become, it’s pretty cool. Facing him and watching him grow over the years, it’s really, really cool stuff.”
Familiarity is one reason Adell said the Guardians already feel “like family” to him. Adell also expects to form a connection with Guardians fans.
“I know it’s a fan base that really cares about their baseball and their sports and what goes down, and that’s really important to me,” Adell said. “At the core of all sports, at the core of baseball, it’s about the support and about wanting to win and doing it for something that’s bigger than yourself.
“That’s a vibe you get here when you play as an opposing team. You come out here, and you know that this is a passionate fan base and the aura is about getting the job done. So, I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Vogt spoke as if he were delighted to learn Adell and Williams were teammates as kids.
“When you play amateur baseball, you’re dreaming of playing in the big leagues, and then you get to share that with somebody that you shared an amateur field with, it’s really special,” Vogt said. “I mean, we see it with college teammates all the time or high school teammates, but that’s a really cool connection and probably brings them back to some good times.”
The Guardians hope Adell and Williams experience more good times together this season.
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jo Adell reunites with Gavin Williams after Cleveland Guardians trade
Reporting by Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
