Eric Adler

A 6-foot-2, 190-pound righthander, Adler has been a key reliever for Wake Forest throughout his college career and was one of the better bullpen arms in the Cape Cod League during 2021. He made 15 appearances for Bourne and posted a 1.15 ERA over 15.2 innings, with 29 strikeouts (46.8 K%) and seven walks (11.3 BB%). Control has held Adler’s performance back this spring, despite arm talent that scouts love. He throws a fastball in the 94-95 mph range and has been up to 98, with high spin rates across the board. On top of a fastball in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range, Adler throws two high-spin breaking balls: an 80 mph curveball with downer shape and a mid-80s slider that gets up to 90 mph with short, cutting action. Scouts have put plus grades on the breaking stuff at times, but he’s a no-doubt reliever at the next level and his 2022 performance will raise eyebrows: an 8.86 ERA in 21.1 innings, with 37 strikeouts (33.0 K%) and 25 walks (22.3 BB%). He has potential high-leverage reliever stuff but needs to find high-leverage reliever control.