Blue Jays call up rookie catcher Riley Adams
By Cam Lewis
2 years agoThe Blue Jays just made a whole bunch of roster moves.
Heading to the Injured List are Alejandro Kirk, Tommy Milone, and Anthony Castro. Coming up in their places are Ross Stripling, who was activated from the 10-day Injured List, and Riley Adams and Anthony Kay, who have been called up from Triple-A.
The most interesting add here, of course, is Adams, the No. 18 prospect in the Blue Jays system. Adams was drafted by the Blue Jays in the third round of the 2017 draft and has largely flown under the radar due the organization having more highly-touted names in the system, like Kirk and Gabe Moreno, plus a couple of young catchers already at the big-league level in Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire.
Adams has put together some nice seasons in the minors and ultimately proved enough that the team added him to the 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft a few months ago. Most recently, he spent the 2019 season between New Hampshire and Dunedin, slashing an impressive .261/.366/.443 line with 14 homers across 415 plate appearances.
Adams has a rare physical profile for a catcher at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, which led many to question his long-term future behind the plate coming out of the Draft. He’s made strides in that area recently and has a strong arm, but there’s room to improve with his receiving. Adams’ IQ and game management are the primary reasons the Blue Jays believe he’ll stick behind the plate. The power tool is what’s so appealing about Adams, though, with one of the very best in the organization.Given his ability to handle the position and hit for legitimate power, it’s easy to envision Adams sticking at the Major League level as a power-hitting backup, but there’s room for him to grow into a more consistent role and he hasn’t yet hit the ceiling of his development.
So, as much as it sucks to see Kirk go down just as he was starting to heat up, it’ll be interesting to see another prospect in Adams get a chance at the big-league level.
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