Austin Adams – Pitcher
When rosters expand, it’s always a good chance to get some extra relievers in games given the larger roster. This means we could see Austin Adams get a healthy amount of innings down the stretch this year.
Acquired in the Danny Espinosa trade back before the 2017 season, Adams has only had a few short stints with the big league club. He has a 3.00 ERA in two years at the top level, but a FIP of 5.82, indicating how unimpressive he’s been in those appearances.
Adams made five September appearances last year in an effort to make a strong impression. While he did strike out 10 hitters in five innings he also walked eight. The term effectively wild comes to mind.
In the minors, he has been walking six batters per nine innings, so it’s an issue, but not quite to the same level that it has been in the majors. And he’ll certainly need to reign that in when facing hitters who have better patience up at the highest level.
The strikeouts have always been there, with an impressive 12.5 throughout his professional career. He also has eight saves at Triple-A this season, and while closing out a minor league game is nowhere near the stress of doing so in the majors, it does at least give him experience in that spot.
He does have two options remaining on his contract though, so he has an uphill battle to a 2019 bullpen spot. But, if Adams can live up to the potential he’s shown in the minor leagues then he could be the next Wander Suero, at least in terms of being the first man up from the minors when the team needs an extra reliever.