Player Review/Preview: Mike Adams

Jun 11, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher

(37) delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. The Twins won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Adams

Key 2013 Statistics: 28 games, 2-4 W-L, 3.96 ERA, 23 K, 11 BB

What Happened in 2013:

After experiencing so much trouble with the 8th inning in 2012, the Phillies thought they had solved the problem when they signed Adams as a free agent.  Adams had once been regarded as a top setup reliever until a neck injury sidelined him at the end of the 2012 season.  While that issue was corrected with offseason surgery, his injury problems were not completely behind him.

In 2013, Adams got off to an inconsistent start.  The team blamed the inconsistency on a back strain which sent him to the disabled list in mid May.  Adams returned after fifteen days, but the inconsistency remained.  It was later revealed that he was also suffering from a shoulder injury that ended his season in June.

If the combination of a high salary and ineffectiveness wasn’t enough to draw the ire of Phillies fans, Adams also appeared in Dom Brown’s “Go Cowboys” Tweet.  Needless to say, Adams is not the most popular player in Philadelphia right now.

What to Expect in 2014:

After trying to rehab the shoulder injury with stretching and weight lifting, Adams ultimately decided to opt for surgery.  Will the surgery allow him to return to his pre-2013 form?  Considering the amount of uncertainty with the rest of the relief corps as well as the high salary they’ll be paying him, the Phillies have to hope so.

My guess is that Adams will not be ready when the season begins and will have to start off on the disabled list.  The best case scenario is that he comes back in May and adds another reliable arm to the back-end of the bullpen.  But it wouldn’t surprise me if his velocity doesn’t return to its pre-injury level, and Adams never pitches a single inning in 2014.