BA GRADE
50
Risk: High
Born: April 13, 1996. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 171. Drafted: HS—Cleveland, Ga., 2014 (2nd round). Signed by: Kevin Burrell.
When the White Sox zeroed in on Adams in 2014, they saw an athletic pitcher with plenty of projectability. He starred as a basketball player in Georgia, and touched has high as 96 mph as an amateur. That was enough for the White Sox to take him in the second round and sign him for nearly $1.3 million.
Adams’ velocity has taken a step back since he turned pro. He presently sits more in the 89-92 mph range with the fastball, albeit with above-average sink. He pairs his fastball with a slider that flashes above-average potential at its best, but sometimes morphs into a slurvier offering. The White Sox worked with Adams in 2017 at Double-A Birmingham to make that pitch more consistently crisp. His changeup has average potential, but needs to take a step forward with its consistency. Adams is a quick worker on the mound and is lauded for his willingness to attack the strike zone. He doesn’t strike out a ton of hitters, but he doesn’t walk many either.
Adams projects as a back-end type of starter with plenty of pitchability, though that could change if he matures physically and develops more velocity. He’s slated for Triple-A Charlotte in 2018.
Year |
Club (League) |
Class |
W |
L |
ERA |
G |
GS |
2015 |
Kannapolis (SAL) |
LoA |
9 |
5 |
3.24 |
19 |
19 |
|
Winston-Salem (CAR) |
HiA |
3 |
0 |
2.15 |
5 |
5 |
2016 |
Winston-Salem (CAR) |
HiA |
8 |
7 |
4.01 |
18 |
18 |
|
Birmingham (SL) |
AA |
2 |
5 |
3.90 |
9 |
9 |
2017 |
Birmingham (SL) |
AA |
7 |
15 |
4.42 |
26 |
26 |
Minor League Totals |
32 |
35 |
3.83 |
87 |
86 |
||
Year |
Club (League) |
CG |
SV |
IP |
H |
HR |
2015 |
Kannapolis (SAL) |
1 |
0 |
100 |
111 |
7 |
|
Winston-Salem (CAR) |
0 |
0 |
29 |
31 |
1 |
2016 |
Winston-Salem (CAR) |
1 |
0 |
108 |
120 |
7 |
|
Birmingham (SL) |
0 |
0 |
55 |
59 |
2 |
2017 |
Birmingham (SL) |
2 |
0 |
153 |
171 |
19 |
Minor League Totals |
4 |
0 |
487 |
541 |
40 |
|
Year |
Club (League) |
BB |
SO |
K/9 |
WHIP |
AVG |
2015 |
Kannapolis (SAL) |
11 |
73 |
6.6 |
1.22 |
.275 |
|
Winston-Salem (CAR) |
7 |
23 |
7.1 |
1.30 |
.267 |
2016 |
Winston-Salem (CAR) |
21 |
74 |
6.2 |
1.31 |
.275 |
|
Birmingham (SL) |
10 |
26 |
4.2 |
1.25 |
.274 |
2017 |
Birmingham (SL) |
40 |
113 |
6.7 |
1.38 |
.281 |
Minor League Totals |
93 |
368 |
6.8 |
1.30 |
.277 |
|