Austin Adams

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Los Angeles Angels #24 prospect in 2017
  Adams continued to show some of the best stuff in the system in his return to Double-A Arkansas, recording 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings, posting a 3.05 ERA and converting four of five save opportunities while cutting his walk rate from 7.7 to 5.2 per nine. He was shut down for about a month late in the season due to fatigue before returning with six scoreless, hitless appearances to finish the year. Adams has a plus fastball averaging 94 mph and getting up to 97, while his slider is a wipeout pitch when he gets ahead in the count, flashing as a plus offering. Adams is aggressive on the mound with a max-effort delivery and an arm action that's a bit slingy, resulting in poor control. He was left off the 40-man roster last year and was a possibility for the Rule 5 draft but wound up staying with the Angels. The Angels added him to the 40-man after 2016, though, impressed by the strides he made. Adams could be a force at the back end of the bullpen with better control, but at 25 years old needs to take that next step forward soon.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #17 prospect in 2015
  Shoulder surgery cost Adams the entire 2012 season and derailed his career as a starter, but he's taken well to the bullpen and made his big league debut in 2014. Adams attacks hitters with tailing fastballs in the upper 90s. He was clocked at 96-98 mph last season, touched 99 and has hit 100 in the past. He threw a curve and a slider as a starter but has gone to one breaking ball now--more of a slurvy slider. It's a quality pitch, with depth and sharp break in the upper 80s. Adams still throws his changeup and has feel for it, though it's clearly his third option. He did a better job of throwing strikes in 2014 than ever before, posting the lowest walk rate (2.7 per nine innings) of his career at Triple-A Columbus. He does need to do a better job of staying down in the zone, because his stuff flattens out when he elevates. Adams should be in the mix for the big league bullpen again in 2015.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #10 prospect in 2014
  The Brewers liked Adams enough as a shortstop prospect to take him in the 27th round in 2008, but he passed on signing to continue playing both ways at NAIA Faulkner (Ala.). Cleveland's fifth-round pick in 2009, this time as a pitcher, he rated as one of the Indians' best pitching prospects after the 2011 season, but shoulder surgery cost him all of 2012 and his road to the majors has been rerouted to the bullpen. The high-90s velocity he showed before his injury has come all the way back, as he pitched with his fastball at 95-97 mph with cutting action. Adams also still has the depth to his repertoire from his days as a starter. His curveball and changeup have the best chances to be quality offerings from among his secondary pitches, and he can mix in an early-count slider as well. He's a good athlete but isn't overly physical. The Indians believe Adams will have better command than his walk figures from last season suggest (4.7 per nine), but he has effort to his delivery and his ability to locate is unlikely to ever be more than average. Adams has the power arm to be a late-inning option, and he joined the 40-man roster after the 2013 season. He'll begin 2014 at Triple-A Columbus.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #24 prospect in 2013
  Adams rode his fastball to the No. 8 spot on this list a year ago, but he ended up losing the entire 2012 season. He experienced a shoulder impingement in spring training, and when he tried to start throwing again in May his shoulder still bothered him, and by the end of the month he had surgery. A two-way player as a shortstop and pitcher at NAIA Faulkner (Ala.), Adams became a full-time pitcher as a senior before signing for $70,000 in 2009. Before his injury, he delivered fastballs that sat in the mid-90s and reached 100 mph. Both his curveball and a slider show signs of becoming average pitches, with the slider the better of his two breaking balls. He also throws a below-average changeup. The lost development time is especially damaging for Adams, who is still raw as a pitcher. He has shown the athleticism to make mechanical adjustments. He does throw across his body, which may have contributed to his shoulder woes and hampers his control. Shoulder injuries are more worrisome than elbow maladies, so Adams will have to show his fastball is still there when he returns. Already 26 and having never topped 136 innings in a season, his future may be in the bullpen.
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  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #8 prospect in 2012
  The Brewers drafted Adams as a shortstop in the 27th round in 2008, but he turned them down to return to Faulkner (Ala.), an NAIA program, for his senior season. A two-way star for the Eagles, he didn't become a full-time pitcher until he signed with the Indians for $70,000 as a fifth-round pick in 2009. Adams has outstanding arm strength, as evidenced by a mid-90s fastball that has touched 100 mph. It's by far his best pitch. Both his curveball and slider are average pitches at times, with the slider more advanced largely because of his pure arm speed. His changeup is below average. Adams is still raw as a pitcher but has made mechanical improvements with his lower half thanks in part to his athleticism. He's staying over the rubber better, leading to better balance and weight transfer. He's doesn't throw across his body quite as much as he did in the past, getting better direction to the plate. His walk rate rose to a career-high 4.2 per nine innings when he got to Double-A Akron last year, so he'll need to challenge hitters more. With his one dominant pitch and lack of size, many scouts peg Adams as a future reliever. Cleveland broke him into pro ball in the bullpen but has kept him in the rotation since. He'll move up to Triple-A in 2012.

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: The Brewers drafted Adams as a shortstop in the 27th round in 2008, but he turned them down to return to Faulkner (Ala.), an NAIA program, for his senior season. A two-way star for the Eagles, he didn't become a full-time pitcher until he signed with the Indians for $70,000 as a fifth-round pick in 2009. Scouting Report: Adams has outstanding arm strength, as evidenced by a mid-90s fastball that has touched 100 mph. It's by far his best pitch. Both his curveball and slider are average pitches at times, with the slider more advanced largely because of his pure arm speed. His changeup is below average. Adams is still raw as a pitcher but has made mechanical improvements with his lower half thanks in part to his athleticism. He's staying over the rubber better, leading to better balance and weight transfer. He's doesn't throw across his body quite as much as he did in the past, getting better direction to the plate. His walk rate rose to a career-high 4.2 per nine innings when he got to Double-A Akron last year, so he'll need to challenge hitters more. The Future: With his one dominant pitch and lack of size, many scouts peg Adams as a future reliever. Cleveland broke him into pro ball in the bullpen but has kept him in the rotation since. He'll move up to Triple-A in 2012.