2011 Indians Top 50 Prospects: #32 Austin Adams

Austin Adams – Right-handed Pitcher
Born: 08/19/1986 – Height: 5’11” – Weight: 185 – Bats: Right – Throws: Right

(Photo: Tony Lastoria)

History: The Indians selected Adams in the 5^th round of the 2009 Draft out of Faulkner University (AL). He was originally drafted as a shortstop in the 27^th round of the 2008 Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, but he did not sign. In 2009 he was an honorable mention NAIA All-American, and last year he finished 3rd in the organization in ERA (2.49).

Strengths: Adams made big strides last year considering he was in the process of a conversion to a full-time pitcher. His fastball consistently sat at 95-96 MPH and he often touched 98 MPH, and he also showed a plus power curveball, slider, and changeup. His fastball is firm with some good movement, and he does a good job of getting ahead in the count and really attacking hitters. He is very athletic with a strong lower half and good arm strength, which has allowed him to adapt much quicker to pitching and also better repeat his delivery. He has a good head on his shoulders, is quiet, and is a good teammate.

Teams liked Adams’ surprising power and athleticism as a shortstop in college, and upon returning to Faulkner for his senior season he moved into a more established role as a starting pitcher, a role different from the closing duties he had for the team his freshman through junior seasons when as a junior he led the collegiate ranks with 12 saves. As a starter he got to showcase his raw talent on the mound with a plus-plus fastball that reached as high as 98 MPH and some promising secondary stuff, all while still playing shortstop in the games he did not start. With his success on the mound his senior season, teams were very interested in him not only as a shortstop, but as a pitcher as well. The Indians scouted him heavily during his college career, having seen him for the last three years prior to drafting him, and felt he had a gifted arm and limitless potential as a pitcher so decided to develop him as a pitcher right out of the gates. He pitched in a piggyback role last year on a 60-65 pitch count to gradually expose him and not overwork his arm.

Opportunities: Last year the Indians tried to increase Adams’ experience level as a pitcher since he is still so raw on the mound and still learning all the nuances that come with pitching. As a result, even though they see him as a reliever, he is starting and being stretched out to four to five innings an outing in order to help increase his exposure to many game situations as well as developing his mechanics, pitches, and mental approach to pitching. He needs to continue to work on developing the command of his fastball and curveball as it is vital to his future success. In college he primarily just relied on a two pitch mix of his powerful fastball and a nice power curveball, but the Indians would like to see him develop his changeup some and have also added a slider to his pitch mix which is a work in progress. He is still learning to pitch within himself as his stuff has a tendency to flatten out when he overthrows, which is not uncommon for someone as raw as him on the mound. He needs to learn to use his pitches better and gain a feel for pitching instead of being a thrower.

Outlook: Adams pitched in a piggyback role in 2010 mostly with fellow right-handed pitcher Marty Popham and may continue that role this year. At some point this season he is expected to move into the bullpen full time which is where he has always been projected to pitch when he reached the higher levels, but at the same time the Indians want to give him lots of innings to develop his stuff and mechanics, so it is uncertain when the full time move to the bullpen will occur. He was pretty raw and inexperienced as a pitcher coming into the pros, but has shown a lot of development and is a legit big league bullpen prospect for the Indians going forward. He should open the 2011 season in Double-A Akron, though depth in the upper levels of the system may push him back to High-A Kinston to start the season, but he should move quickly to Akron if he pitches well.

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	W	L	ERA	G	GS	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG	BB/9	K/9	WHIP
2009	22	Mahoning Valley	A-	3	1	4.86	17	0	37.0	39	20	4	15	29	.269	3.6	7.1	1.46
2010	23	Lake County	A	2	4	3.54	13	8	53.1	40	21	7	21	61	.206	3.5	10.3	1.14
2010	23	Kinston	A+	6	1	1.53	13	12	58.2	50	10	5	15	51	.228	2.3	7.8	1.11
		MiLB Totals		11	6	3.08	43	20	149.0	129	51	16	51	141	.231	3.1	8.5	1.21

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