New Phillies reliever Adams says 2012 was a struggle
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New Phillies reliever Adams says 2012 was a struggle
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
The Phillies officially announced the signing of free-agent reliever Mike Adams to a two-year, $12 million deal Thursday. The contract also includes a vesting option for 2015, which is a lot of money for a guy who admits last season was a physical struggle.
Adams, 34, is expected to take the role as closer Jonathan Papelbon's setup man next season. He has been one of the best eighth-inning relievers in the game since 2008, posting a 1.98 earned run average while striking out 311 batters in 295 innings.
The veteran righthander posted a 5-3 record with one save and an uncharacsterically high 3.27 earned run average in his only full season with the Texas Rangers last year. He was shut down for the final week of the season and underwent surgery in October for a condition known as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
"Last year was a struggle for me," Adams said. "The TOS was something that kicked in in early April. I didn't know what was happening. I thought I was just having some shoulder discomfort issues. The majority of the season I battled not having the same stuff I had previously.
"I didn't have a good feel for the ball. There were times when I didn't know how to grip a fastball because I didn't have the feel. That's the symptoms of TOS. By the end of the year, it really caught up to me. My arm felt like it weighed five or six pounds more than it normally did. The ball felt like it weighed three pounds."
Adams surrendered three home runs in a five-batter span in his final appearance of the season against Oakland after allowing only one home run in his previous 60 games.
"My last outing, I felt like I was pitching a shot put," he said. "The toughest part was the mental part. I was trying to fix my mechanics and I was trying to fix everything. Once I knew that I had TOS, it was a huge relief after talking to (Rangers teammate) Matt Harrison and knowing that he told me I was going to feel great after (surgery). The trainer for Texas told me that once I get a few weeks into the rehab process I'm going to feel like I have a new arm."
Adams said the rehab process has gone well so far. He thought he'd be ready for the start of spring training. He admitted that he is more concerned about being ready for the April 1 opener in Atlanta. The surgical procedure involved removing a rib.
"It’s the first rib, which is below the clavicle," Adams said. "So what happens is that first rib starts squeezing the clavicle. You have a main artery and a nerve that runs through there, so when you start squeezing those, that nerve starts shooting pain through your body. I was having headaches constantly for three weeks. My trap was hurting, my pec, the middle of my back was hurt. I was having some numbness and tingling in my bicep and forearm and it was something that was pretty bad.
"Once I had the surgery to take care of it, some of the shoulder pain was gone within two days. It took a little while longer for a lot of the other symptoms to go away, but they said in time it will. They say the nerves have been so freaked out that they needed time to recover. It wasn’t until about three or four weeks ago that I really started to feel the symptoms go away."
Shortly after the winter meetings, the Phillies sent special assistant Charley Kerfeld to watch Adams throw. The righthander obviously passed the physical administered by the Phillies Thursday and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged the risk involved.
"There is no question that there is some risk involved," Amaro said. "As a group, we talked to our people about the TOS and how that might affect him short term and long term, but I think ultimately we feel comfortable enough and felt comfortable with the procedure and the follow-up information that we got. While there is some risk to it, it probably was a good risk. This is a guy who can solidify our bullpen."
Thank you, Paul. My thoughts exactly.— Dante1138- I hope to god you guys aren't giving $$$ to the Phillies. It's guys like you that inspire Monty and the Blue Bloods to keep morons on staff as GM and Manager. You call it whining - I call it telling the truth about a guy who is submarining our chances. I want the Phillies to be successful. I don't think they have a GM who can do what it takes to put us in the best position to so that.
— Copper34 - These signings will be the final anchor that sink the Phillies to the basement of the league.— fmMD
- Adams is a stud. The Phillies just addressed their top area of need with this signing....it sets up the bullpen beautifully. Relax, people...in reality, there is always risk with any MLB pitcher you sign. He passed his physical...and at $12MM, I'm sure it was a thorough one.— Phront_Runner
- Turn your head and cough... TWICE!
Seriously, let's hope the physical was a bit more thorough than Freddy Garcia's lookover.
— Sam Crow - Sorry, it is two titles in the last three years for SF.— Paul SoTX
- PaulSoTx-hit the nail on the head— honomugym
- Oswalt and Pence trades were among the worst trades in past decade. Phils would have made the post-season in 2010 and 2011 (at least as wild-card) with or without either of these acquisitions (and Oswalt had an awful losing record and bad era in 2011 for a team 40 games over .500).
Accordingly the best way to evaluate them is how much they contributed to post-season success or failure.
Oswalt
2010 post-season: 1-1, 19.2 inn., 8 runs (6 er), 3hrs
2011 post-season: 0-1, 6 inn, 5 er (1hr)
total: 1-2 3.93 era, 4 hr's
Cost for 1 1/2 yrs of Oswalt: Gose, Villar (swapped for Wallace) and Happ
Pence: 2011 post-season: 4 for 19, .211
Cost for 1 year of Pence: Singleton, Cosart, Santana, and Zeid
Pence then traded for Schierholz (no longer on team) and 2 non-prospects...
in retrospect (since Oswalt and Pence are long-gone, as is Scheirholz), Rube gave up Villar, Gose, Happ, Singleton, Cosart, Santana, and Zeid (7 prospects, 6 highly rated) for non-prospects Joseph and Rosin and 1 win from Oswalt in 2010 post-season— warbiscuit - Wow, I have officially made it. I've been recognized by the almighty. As a "moron" even! You only use postseason stats when evaluating the Oswalt and Pence trades. Brilliant! But, I'm the moron. News flash - you have to get to the postseason to have postseason stats, if these are even accurate postseason stats you present. These were trades for the top available players at their positions that obviously helped the Phils. Further, you say Joseph is a non-prospect while Villar and Gose are key pieces to your argument? Again, Brilliant! Finally, I don't think these are your opinions and would say that you deliberately spew lies as Oswalt didn't have an awful 2011 nor a bad era. He did have a bad back, though, and still posted respectable numbers. "In retrospect" doesn't work for trades but I think any GM in the league makes these trades again, knowing the results. Wanna debate the Howard contract next? Colorful adjectives aren't going to get you anywhere. — vafan
- bottom line: Rube gave up Villar, Gose, Happ, Singleton, Cosart, Santana, and Zeid (7 prospects, 6 highly rated) for non-prospects Joseph and Rosin and 1 win from Oswalt in 2010 post-season— warbiscuit
- That's the bottom line in your world. The bottom line in the real world is that Pence hit .324 and Oswalt went 7-1 (I'm not a stat guy but I looked it up just for you) and both players were vital to the Phils run in their respective trade seasons. I'm hoping the players Rube gave up turn up in the show someday. That would make the trades fair, imo. So far, though, Phils made out pretty well both times. Your strategy of posting so often, repeating the same things over and over and using obnoxious adjectives, not facts, to prove your point is so childish. I am literally lol-ing right now. This is a straight up serious question - how old are you? — vafan
- had Phils still had Villar, Gose, Happ, Singleton, Cosart, Santana, and Zeid (or used them in more productive trades), they would presumably have been able to groom some of these payers to succed current aging players and/or use some of them in more prodcutive trades than what they got (1/2 decent yr from Oswalt, 1/2 decent year from Pence --mostly useless or negative production otherwise, including post-season)— warbiscuit
- Tommy Joseph is a highly rated prospect and a catcher. Last season was doomed by injuries. The previous 5, the team was as good as any in MLB. They will be just as good this season.— Paul SoTX
- Adams at 90 percent would be a pivotal acquisition taking late inning pressure off the starters and young relievers.— escapedcamden4monterey
- So he comes in to the 8th, pitches to a rightie and then has Bastardo or the other lefty Horst, pitch to any lefty. They should be OK there. But then will the 6th, 7th be fine for Aumont, Stutes, and any other reliever????— Koons
