Cooper Adams shines in first professional outing for the Greenville Drive
Red Sox minor league pitcher Cooper Adams shinned in relief of Greenville’s Connelly Early on Saturday night.
The 23-year-old tossed three scoreless frames while striking out three and posting a 0.67 WHIP. Adams threw 48 pitches, 29 of them for strikes, during his relief outing.
The Red Sox signed Adams to a minor-league contract back in early February. This came on the heels of throwing a showcase at Tread Athletics annual pro day in Charlotte, N.C., in January. The Boston scouts came away from the pro day impressed and signed Adams.
“It’s been a wild ride, I will say that,” Adams said of his journey to the Red Sox back in February while on the To the Show We Go Baseball podcast. “Basically ending my career at Mount St. Mary’s to not getting drafted or signed then and really trying to re-work everything I’ve been doing in baseball. I sort of tried to reteach myself how to pitch, but it’s been an adventure I would never change.”
Prior to the start of this season, it was unknown whether Adams would be assigned to either Low-A Salem or High-A Greenville. He ultimately landed with the Drive and shined in his first outing.
Adams, who was not selected in the 2023 amateur draft, posted a strong fifth-year senior season for the Mountaineers last season. He went 8-3, posting a 4.70 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 20 walks in 14 starts (82 1/3 innings).
The Maryland native spent three years with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and pitched to a 7.09 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 21 appearances that included eight starts over 59 2/3 innings.
Following his three years with the Retrievers, he transferred to Mount St. Mary’s in 2021 and led the team in starts with 11 and innings pitched with 65 1/3 frames.
Adams offers a three-pitch mix, a mid-90s fastball that tops out at 97 mph, and a changeup that offers “major league potential,” according to SoxProspects. He also mixes in a slider and sinker while on the mound.
