Mike Adams

2013

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2012

Adams served as Texas' setup man following a midseason trade from the Padres, continuing his excellent run as one of the elite late-inning relievers in baseball. Texas' offseason signing of Joe Nathan, and related move of Neftali Feliz to the rotation, could result in a handful of saves for Adams if the Rangers are reluctant to use the aging Nathan three of four nights on occasion, but you should bid expecting Adams to be an excellent staff filler and setup option and consider any save chances he receives a bonus.

2011

Adams quietly had another fantastic season as a member of the Padres bullpen, aka the "PENitentiary." His walk rate jumped up to 3.11 BB/9IP, but he still struck out more than a batter an inning thanks to one of the best cutters in baseball. A top notch setup man, Adams would excel in a closer role, if ever given the opportunity. Unless Heath Bell suffers an injury or gets traded, he'll be a part of the bridge to the ninth inning.

2010

Last year's stats were driven by a silly .163 BABIP and having 75 percent of the runs he allowed flagged as unearned. That said, Adams is something of an unknown treasure, with a career 2.53 ERA and 4.0 K/BB. If the Padres deal Heath Bell, a healthy Adams -- never a certainty -- could be in line to play Bell to Bell's Trevor Hoffman.

2009

Once a closer for the Brewers, Adams became the latest post-prospect reliever to excel in the Padres' pen, improving his already strong strikeout skills while displaying much better control. Unfortunately, he needed labrum and rotator cuff surgery in October, almost certainly delaying his 2009 debut until some time after the All-Star break.

2007

Adams bounced between four organizations in 2006, mainly serving as a middle reliever in Triple-A. The once-promising prospect now looks like a journeyman who could be past his prime at age 28. He has strikeout stuff (48 K in 59.1 Triple-A innings in 2006), but walks too many batters (22) and gives up a fair number of runs (3.94 ERA). The Padres have a reputation for salvaging middle relievers, but Adams is far from a lock to make the big-league club.

2006

After a breakout year in 2004, Adams took a step back in 2005 and spent most of the season at Triple-A Nashville. While his rate of 11.25 strikeouts per nine innings was strong, his ERA clearly was not. He'll try to earn a setup role this spring.

2005

Adams started strong in 2004 but faded down the stretch in his rookie season. With the trade of Danny Kolb, the Brewers announced Adams will be their closer entering spring training. While his job security will be tenuous, he's shown enough control to think he'll be successful at the job. He's a nice sleeper as a result.