Rockies take another chance on Chance Adams

With thin pitching depth, the Rockies bring back the former top pitching prospect Chance Adams.

Kansas City Royals Photo Day
Kansas City Royals Photo Day | Jamie Squire/GettyImages

The Rockies have agreed to a minor-league deal with former top pitching prospect Chance Adams. The deal with the 29-year-old includes an invite to spring training. Adams is not a starting pitcher anymore, and yes, the Rockies definitely need help in the rotation, but Adams could provide some solid depth for a bullpen that needs it almost as badly.

Adams was a fifth-round pick in 2015 and looked to be destined for the Yankees' rotation after really solid seasons in 2016 and 2017. He made it as high as No. 8 in the Yankees' top prospects in 2018 (per MLB Pipeline), as well as 75th overall in the Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects.

He struggled in 2018 and 2019 in the upper-level minor leagues before requiring Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2020 season. That also kept him out for most of the 2021 season; he only threw 6.1 innings. In 2022, he didn't pitch for any team in the major leagues or minor leagues, sitting out the whole year. The Rockies took a shot on the former top pitching prospect, who will be only 29 for most of the 2024 season.

Adams spent much of his younger career as a starting pitcher, but will look to carve out a role as a rotational bullpen arm for a team that is lacking pitching in every aspect. Once a high strikeout guy, Adams has reinvented himself it seems, as evidence of his 5.79 K/9 in Triple-A last year. He seems to have found a nice niche in this new era for him, as he walked just 2.76 batters per 9 innings and was able to run a very solid ground ball rate of 44.9% last season, something that could prove valuable at Coors Field.

In Triple-A Albuquerque, he was able to work up to 32.2 innings pitched, a good sign for a pitcher who had thrown just 15 innings since 2019. He put up a respectable 3.86 ERA, showing there is a solid reliever in there still. Adams will surely look to build off that solid season and hopefully work to 40-50 innings at least.

Bud Black struggled in 2023, but a decimated pitching staff and a bullpen lacking talent made his job pretty tough. Hopefully, Adams can help Bud Black get through a 2024 season after the 2023 was patched together with a number of arms.

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