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Saturday, June 2, 2001
Injury begins Adams’ road to Brewers rookie camp
A bad landing in basketball leads former the Sinton standout to take baseball seriously and excel in it
By Lee Goddard
Caller-Times
Even though it didn't seem that way at the time, Mike Adams caught a lucky break when he sustained a fractured ankle in 1998.
   The injury helped Adams, a former Sinton High School standout, to move from basketball to baseball.
   That in turn has allowed Adams to be where he is today - in Tempe, Ariz. as a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league camp, waiting to be assigned his first professional destination.
   Originally, Adams figured his professional chances were more in line with the Toronto Raptors, not the Brewer's Rookie League affiliate, the Ogden (Utah) Raptors. At 6-foot-5, he stood out in both sports at Sinton, and expected to play both at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
   Instead, fatigue from his first season as a college cager limited Adams to basketball alone.
   Then came the break.
   In summer league basketball, Adams grabbed a rebound and his right foot came down on top of another player's foot, leading to the fracture.
   At first, there was frustration. Adams, a member of Sinton's 1996 state basketball title team, was redshirted for the next basketball season. He eventually quit the team and considered transferring to another college.
   But baseball came calling.
   "Some friends I used to play high school ball with had a summer league team and asked me if I wanted to play," Adams said. "That got me back into it."
   By the fall, Adams had decided to remain with the Javelinas, only in a baseball uniform. His first season back was something to be expected from a player that hadn't thrown in a game situation. Adams' earned run average in 1999 was above 10, and he went winless.
   "Even my first year, I can never say I took baseball seriously," Adams said. "My first year, it was something to have fun with. My second year, I learned the ropes of the game and took it seriously. That's when baseball started becoming my mind frame.
   "That's when I knew I wanted to try baseball as a career."
   When Adams added a solid changeup to his arsenal, A&M-Kingsville baseball coach Russell Stockton knew he had a quality pitcher.
   "He picked up the changeup," Stockton said. "On the college level, everybody can kind of hit the fastball. By getting the fastball to run a bit, he was able to take the step from thrower to pitcher. Over the last couple of years, he learned how to pitch to survive.
   "Mike's one of these guys in which you saw ability, talent," Stockton added. "Good loose arm, lanky. Knew it was there. Once Mike had that first taste of success, he saw as well that he had a chance to play the game for a living. Once he developed that change, it was just a matter of time."
   That time came in 2000. Adams, who complemented his high-80s fastball with the change, curve, and slider, posted a 7-6 record with a 4.28 ERA, striking out a school-record 105 while walking 51.
   This year, Adams went 6-7 with a 4.10 ERA and hurled an all-time school best 98.2 innings, throwing nine complete games in 15 starts. He struck out 115, breaking his own school record, while walking 42.
   While he could have waited for the draft, Adams was advised by area scouts to try free agency. He did, selecting the Brewers.
   Adams has been in Arizona for two weeks. He hasn't thrown in a game situation yet, but hit 94 miles per hour in a bullpen setting. He's learning the ropes again and awaiting next week, he said, when he expects to be assigned to either Ogden or Class A Beloit.
   "I've been working a lot harder (then his first year in college)," Adams said. "It's a job now. It could be my career."
   As for Stockton, he believes Adams can navigate his way up the Brewers chain, and wouldn't be surprised to soon see his old pitcher wearing a Milwaukee uniform.
   "I think can go a long ways," Stockton said. "I think Mike has the ability to move up the chain real quick. The Brewers use their farm system well and bring guys up. And the big club could use pitching."
   All it takes is one lucky break.


Contact Lee Goddard at 886-3613 or goddardl@caller.com

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