Adam Russell

2013

There was no outlook written for Adam Russell.

2012

Russell had a 3.03 ERA in 36 games for Tampa Bay last season, but just a 13:20 K:BB ratio in 32.2 innings. He was sent down in June and spent the rest of the season at Triple-A, where he had a 4.24 ERA and a poor 14:12 K:BB ratio. He's a long shot to make a deep Atlanta bullpen and likely just adds depth at Triple-A.

2011

At 6-foot-8 and 255 pounds, Russell is an imposing figure with potentially dominant stuff. In 2010 he spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Portland with a 4.88 ERA and 1.59 K/BB ratio out of the bullpen. He's shown better control in previous stops, but a 5.6 BB/9IP is concerning. In his September callup he had a 10.5 K/9IP with a 50 percent groundball rate. In the offseason he was traded to Tampa Bay where he'll battle for a bullpen role in spring training. With improved control, he could surprise.

2010

The White Sox converted the hard-throwing Russell to relief in '07, with fairly good results including a dramatic improvement in control last season at Triple-A. An absolute monster on the mound, Russell has the ability to become a dominant late-inning reliever, even a closer. He's four names down the list at this point, but worth having on your radar if you like making random longshot saves plays.

2009

The Sox converted the huge righty to relief in 2007, and while he's been more effective in the role, it's not by enough to elevate him to prospect status yet. There's some upside, including a long shot that he becomes a closer in two years, so he's worth grabbing in very deep leagues.

2008

Russell struggled again as a starter at Double-A before getting bumped into a relief role in July. He didn't fare any better as a reliever and his future is very cloudy at this point. He did open some eyes last spring but he'll need to do so again this year. He's 6'8" so perhaps he should consider a career as a bouncer.