Exclusive: Angels outfielder Jo Adell breaks down viral catches

Jo Adell is a popular figure as the Angels made their annual trip to Yankee Stadium.

Not because he has the stardom of Mike Trout, but due to becoming a viral sensation with an astounding three catches to rob home runs in the same game.

Although Adell is nearly two weeks removed from robbing Cal Raleigh, Josh Naylor and J.P. Crawford, the catches are fresh in everyone's mind, and the outfielder is engaging in the details of those plays with anyone who seeks to discuss them.

Adell breaks down his catches

On April 4, Adell stood in right field as the Angels played the Mariners and watched Cal Raleigh hit a slider on a ball that appeared on the way out two batters in.

Then Adell took about eight steps back with his eyes peeled on the ball, timed his leap correctly and pulled the ball into his glove before Raleigh's drive went over the yellow line and beyond the 370-foot distance.

Ok, one leaping catch is good enough but how about two?

The second occurred when Josh Naylor hit the same pitch with the same trajectory, just a little to the left of Raleigh's drive at 368 feet, but spent more time in the air.

Adell raced back about seven or eight steps and timed his leap again before Naylor's fly ball went over the yellow line, prompting television color analyst Mark Gubicza to say: "Jo knows hops."

The natural question is how to approach the fence to get an idea of how close you are to encountering the wall and Adell gladly supplied some of the details.

"You're just playing it back," Adell told Lindy's on Monday afternoon inside the Angels clubhouse. "The way those balls are hit, they're hit pretty well. So, you know you're just going to go back and give yourself a glance and a little bit of awareness of where the wall is.

"Once you understand where that is, at that point, you pick and choose where you're going to go and how aggressive you're going to be and that's kind of the mindset going into those plays.

Those catches already put Adell in immortal territory in the history of great catches and then came the viral moment in the ninth inning with the Angels trying to protect a 1-0 lead over a divisional opponent.

Those plays only served as a tasty appetizer for the main event, a home run robbery of J.P Crawford that not only required a leap but a trip into the stands behind the short right field fence at Angels Stadium that also resembles the configuration in Dodger Stadium's right field.

Adell was playing Crawford away from the line and needed to run about 10 steps over towards the foul pole. He stuck his glove out and leading with his back, Adell fell in front of the first row of the stands.

"It's pretty crazy," Adell said. "First where the ball was hit, I got over there. I had a feeling that it was foul at first. Even though I knew he hit it pretty well and true, it was right by the foul pole.

"So when I got over there in plenty of time, I kind of veered back and then I saw the ball kind of cross where the foul pole was in fair territory and then it was kind of fading into the stands at that point and then I kind of hit a little jump and lean over. The fans were really good about it. They got out of the way and no issues on the fall or anything, so it's pretty cool."

The aftermath for Adell

The next day, the Mariners used their whiteboard to display a humorous strategy by simply saying "Don't hit the ball to Joseph Adell", something even more amusing when you realize his given name is Jordon Adell.

And the Mariners actually were able to follow that amusing strategy since Adell did not catch any flyballs.

Adell's inactivity in the following game occurred after getting some friendly teasing from Crawford, whom the night before stood at first base with a look of disbelief on his face.

"The next day he pulled me aside and said, 'why you have to do me like that' because I actually took one away from him last year when I was in center field," Adell said.

Since then, Adell has basked in the aftermath of viral catches, getting all sorts of messages from fans about what probably may be the best defensive sequence by any outfielder in the same game all season.

"Pretty remarkable stuff," Adell said. "What are the odds I'd be in the situation to take that many balls back over from the wall. Just kind of a crazy moment. Just cool to hear from other people about that experience and how special it was for them to be a part of them."

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Home run robberies nothing new for Adell

Taking away a home run is one of those stats where you need to know where to look, but Sports Info Solutions does track those, and Adell's plays marked the first time the same player did it three times.

Overall, as of Tuesday, he has made 10 home run robberies according to Inside Edge and has done so while improving his defense to the point that he was a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, posting a .983 fielding percentage while playing 119 of his 123 games in right field.

Being in the mix for a Gold Glove might have been the first sign of defensive improvement since 2020 when he was playing center field and had a four-base error on a ball popping out of his glove.

This just put Adell's defensive prowess into bigger focus and created the possibility of more awestruck catches each time a ball gets hit in his direction.

"I've been pretty lucky to have some crazy mind-blowing moments but to see that, it's two in a row and then a third one," Gubicza said. "I thought there was absolutely no chance in the world he was getting it because the day before to put in perspective, he ran right into that wall and he hurt his ribs. So I'm thinking there's no way he was going to make that play. When he did reach up, I was like this didn't happen."

Except it did and Adell will gladly engage in discussions about those plays anytime someone brings them up.

Related: Angels 2026 Preview: Mike Trout and the Race Against Time

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 8:55 AM.