Spencer Adams

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago White Sox #20 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Adams was an attractive draft prospect because of his athleticism and projection, and a fastball that had run its way up to 96 mph. That fastball took a step back once he turned pro, though he still had enough velocity and sink to perform well at the lower levels.
  
  Scouting Report: Adams still hasn’t recovered the mid-90s velocity that he had as an amateur, and scouts saw the pitch more often in the 89-91 mph range in 2018. The fastball fronted a four-pitch mix completed by a slider and changeup in the low 80s and a curveball in the high 70s. The slider was the best of his offspeed pitches, rating as a touch above-average offering. His changeup and curve are both fringe-average. His lack of an out pitch was made plain in 2018 by a scant 5.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
  
  The Future: To succeed in the big leagues, Adams will need to mix and match and pitch to contact, giving him a ceiling of a fifth starter who more likely is an up-and-down arm. The White Sox’s left him off their 40-man roster and he went unpicked in the Rule 5 draft. He’s likely to head back to Triple-A Charlotte.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #12 prospect in 2018
  When the White Sox zeroed in on Adams in 2014, they saw an athletic pitcher with plenty of projectability. He starred as a basketball player in Georgia, and touched has high as 96 mph as an amateur. That was enough for the White Sox to take him in the second round and sign him for nearly $1.3 million. Adams' velocity has taken a step back since he turned pro. He presently sits more in the 89-92 mph range with the fastball, albeit with above-average sink. He pairs his fastball with a slider that flashes above-average potential at its best, but sometimes morphs into a slurvier offering. The White Sox worked with Adams in 2017 at Double-A Birmingham to make that pitch more consistently crisp. His changeup has average potential, but needs to take a step forward with its consistency. Adams is a quick worker on the mound and is lauded for his willingness to attack the strike zone. He doesn't strike out a ton of hitters, but he doesn't walk many either. Adams projects as a back-end type of starter with plenty of pitchability, though that could change if he matures physically and develops more velocity. He's slated for Triple-A Charlotte in 2018.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #9 prospect in 2017
  Adams was a standout prep multi-sport athlete who also starred as a basketball player. Ranked 23rd in the 2014 BA 500, he slid to the second round and the White Sox selected him with the 44th overall pick. Adams got his fastball up to 96 mph in high school and was seen as projectable, but his velocity has settled in at 88-93 as a pro. As Adams continues to add strength to his wide-shouldered, 6-foot-3 frame, the White Sox are hopeful that he can eventually pitch with the plus velocity he showed with longer rest as an amateur. He's shown a heavy reliance on his above-average slider, which shows sharp, two-plane break and late bite. His slider was more consistent in 2016, though it's break will sometimes get wide and long. Adams throws his average changeup with fastball arm speed and generates enough late tumbling action for the pitch to induce poor contact and ground balls. He is an excellent athlete and repeats his mechanics exceptionally well for a pitcher of his age. Adams has the stuff and pitchability to comfortably project as a No. 4 starter, with the ceiling of a No. 3 if he can add a tick more velocity. He's likely to start 2017 at Double-A Birmingham, where he will again be one of the youngest players at the level.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #4 prospect in 2016
  Fortune smiled on the White Sox in the 2014 draft when lefthander Carlos Rodon fell to them at No. 3 overall and Adams, a first-round talent, slipped to them in the second round. Rodon ascended quickly to the majors in 2015, while Adams went 12-5, 2.99 in 24 starts at two Class A levels with a walk rate of 1.3 per nine innings that ranked 14th best among qualified minor league starters. A standout basketball player in high school, Adams found more velocity as a senior, which paired nicely with his pre-existing control and feel for two offspeed pitches. Amateur scouts regularly clocked Adams at 93-95 mph, but he pitched more at 89-91 at low Class A Kannapolis in his full-season debut as he grew accustomed to a pro workload and regular side work. He already spots his fastball well to both sides of the plate, but he needs a bit more cut on the pitch or improved secondary offerings to combat lefthanded batters, who hit .313 against him in 2015. Adams' slider drew plus grades from scouts out of high school, but he didn't always have that same power at Kannapolis, and the pitch got too loopy at times. His changeup has average potential, but he just needs to throw it more to gain confidence. Adams keeps the ball down and is not homer-prone, but he almost throws too many strikes and probably could induce more swings and misses by missing off the plate by 8-10 inches. Adams logged more innings (129) than any prep pitcher taken in the top 100 picks of the 2014 draft, so he will make leg work and nutrition his offseason priorities in an effort to gain a tick or two of velocity. He should have no trouble making the high Class A Winston-Salem rotation in 2016 as he chases his future as a potential No. 3 starter.
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  Ranked Chicago White Sox #3 prospect in 2015
  A three-sport athlete who excelled in basketball as a high schooler, Adams was committed to Georgia but started to move up draft boards in the summer of 2013, when he shined at the Metropolitan Baseball Classic . Opposing clubs were as surprised as the White Sox when Adams fell to them with the third pick of the second round, and he signed for $1,282,700. Adams is the best athlete among the organization's pitchers, showing plus control and the aptitude to apply adjustments quickly. He doesn't need to change much, for he has premium, front-of-the-rotation stuff. His fastball has touched 96 mph and can sit 93-95 at times, and he has excellent control of the pitch even though it features excellent life, both with sink and bat-sawing action. His arm path is short and consistent, and his projectable frame makes it probable he'll maintain his present velocity . Adams' slider was one of the better breaking balls in the draft, a low-80s out pitch that also could be a consistent future plus pitch. He needs more experience changing speeds and using his changeup without slowing his arm when he throws it. The White Sox hadn't drafted a prep pitcher this high since Gio Gonzalez in 2004, and they believe Adams has similar upside. He'll start at low Class A Kannapolis and projects to have a No. 2 starter ceiling.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #23 prospect in 2014 draft
  Adams is one of the best athletes among the pitchers in this draft, a standout basketball player who has an impressive highlight reel of in-game dunks. The quick-armed Adams has been on an upward trajectory since getting off the hardwood, with his velocity steadily increasing. In a late spring start he sat 93-95 mph, touching 96 with plus fastball life, sink and bat-breaking potential at its best. He has a four-pitch mix, and his mid-80s slider is a true out pitch with at least plus potential. His feel for the changeup has not been there consistently, but it shows at least above-average potential. Although he has some effort in his cross-body delivery and tends to spin off toward first base, Adams is a natural strike-thrower with a chance for above-average control. He can pitch to either part of the plate in the lower half of the zone. At 6-foot-3, 171 pounds, he's long, loose and lean and offers physical projection, though his frame is somewhat narrow. He is committed to Georgia.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked South Atlantic League #16 prospect in 2015
  Adams pitched well for Kannapolis. He painted corners. He showed feel, aptitude and a better understanding of mixing pitches than most teenagers. But scouts and managers watching Adams more often came away wondering whether he normally threw harder than what they saw. Adams consistently sat 89-91 mph with an average-at-best breaking ball and changeup. "There was nothing plus," one scout said. Adams works down in the zone and mixes in an average slider and changeup. He walked only 1.0 batter per nine innings, which would have easily lead the SAL if not for a late-season promotion to high Class A Winston-Salem.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #5 prospect in 2014
  Ranked No. 23 on the BA 500 prior to the draft, Adams slipped to the White Sox in the second round and 44th pick. He pitched like a first-rounder in his pro debut. The Georgia prep with a projectable frame ranked fifth in the AZL with 59 strikeouts. Adams flashes a fastball up to 96 mph that he locates down in the zone with sink and plus movement, and he is working on a two-seamer. He could add velocity as he gets stronger, though his narrow frame may limit how much bigger he gets. Adams complements his fastball with a nasty slider and an effective changeup, both of which are above-average and could be plus pitches in time, and he commands all of his pitches to both sides of the plate. Adams also starred in basketball in high school and is a plus athlete. "What separates him is his focus and poise on the mound," White Sox manager Mike Gellinger said.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #100 prospect in 2015

• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: Adams was a standout prep multi-sport athlete who also starred as a basketball player. Ranked 23rd in the 2014 BA 500, he slid to the second round and the White Sox selected him with the 44th overall pick. Scouting Report: Adams got his fastball up to 96 mph in high school and was seen as projectable, but his velocity has settled in at 88-93 as a pro. As Adams continues to add strength to his wide-shouldered, 6-foot-3 frame, the White Sox are hopeful that he can eventually pitch with the plus velocity he showed with longer rest as an amateur. He's shown a heavy reliance on his above-average slider, which shows sharp, two-plane break and late bite. His slider was more consistent in 2016, though it's break will sometimes get wide and long. Adams throws his average changeup with fastball arm speed and generates enough late tumbling action for the pitch to induce poor contact and ground balls. He is an excellent athlete and repeats his mechanics exceptionally well for a pitcher of his age.
  
  The Future: Adams has the stuff and pitchability to comfortably project as a No. 4 starter, with the ceiling of a No. 3 if he can add a tick more velocity. He's likely to start 2017 at Double-A Birmingham, where he will again be one of the youngest players at the level.