Dan AdamsonHow did he get here?: Drafted, 2010 (20th Round)
Stats: 5'11" 210 lbs, Bats: Right Throws: Right
Hometown/Birthplace: Springville, AL
Age as of April 1, 2011: 23
Position: CF
2010 Men of the Match: 9
2010 Overview
| PA | Avg/OBP/SLG | K:BB | XBH-RBI | K/PA% | XBH/H% |
| 288 | .262/.351/.444 | 79:27 | 24-35 | 27.4% | 36.4% |
What happened?
Adamson was drafted in the 20th Round out of Jacksonville State, where he was called "One of the top defensive players to ever play the outfield for the Gamecocks," and was among the team leaders in hits, homers, triples, RBI, and stolen bases.
On defense, Adamson got 49 starts in CF and 16 in LF, committing four errors total, with six outfield assists.
Reporting to the ValleyCats, Zach Levine gave him the nod as Best Start by a Late Round Pick. He ended up leading the team in triples (4), homers (9), and strikeouts (79).
What went right?
Home games. Adamson hit .307/.378/.551 at Joe Bruno Field, where he hit seven of those nine homers, and his OPS was 269 points higher at home than on the road.
1st Half (which actually should be called Pre-ASG, as the NYPL All-Star Game is in August). Before the All-Star Game, Adamson hit .294/.384/.490 with 20 extra-base hits. The shoe drops in the section below.
Bases Empty. Though five of his nine homers came with runners on, Adamson walked in 15.1% of his ABs with the bases empty. With runners on, that percentage dropped to 6.8%. Eighteen of his 27 walks came with the bases clear. And his OPS was .858.
What went wrong?
Likely due to a long senior season Adamson tired down the stretch, hitting .155/.234/.293 after the All-Star Game, and finishing the last ten games of the regular season 4x34, hitting .118/.189/.147. That said, he hit an 11th inning walk-off homer in Game 1 against Batavia and got an RBI in the 3rd inning of Game 1 of the NYPL Championship series.
As mentioned earlier, away games. He hit .216/.324/.336 on the road, with 41K:17BB in 35 games.
Them strikeouts. It's fairly typical of a power hitter, but Adamson did strikeout in over a quarter of his PAs. In August and September, his K/AB rate was 30.4% (actually down from the 32.1% in June and July).
Adamson should get his shot at Lexington next year, and be a threat both with the bat and on the basepaths, after he stole eleven bases for the ValleyCats in 2010. It'll be interesting to see what he can do when he has an off-season to rest, and not start playing in February.
