The Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association announced yesterday they’ve signed first baseman Matt Adams. “We are very excited to have Matt as a part of our ball club for the 2022 season,” Monarchs manager Joe Calfapietra said as part of the team’s press release. “His ability, experience and presence is going to be extremely valuable to our organization. We are anxious to get started toward taking the steps to reach our 2022 goals.”
Adams released a statement of his own, via the team. “I am very excited to play in Kansas City – what drew my interest in the Monarchs was that Kansas City is a great sports town close to my home with great fans and the level of baseball the Monarchs play is top level. … I wanted to continue to play the game I love and show that I can still be an impactful big-league player and get back to a major league club.”
Now 33 years old, Adams has appeared at the MLB level in each of the past ten seasons. The bulk of that time was spent with the Cardinals, where he emerged as a fairly regular option at first base between 2013-16. Adams had an excellent .284/.335/.503 showing in 319 plate appearances in 2013, and he topped 20 homers as a part-time player every year between 2017-19 with the Cards, Braves and Nationals.
Adams has seen sporadic big league time with Atlanta in 2020 and the Rockies last season. He didn’t produce in very brief looks with either team, and he didn’t catch on with an affiliated club after being released by Colorado in July. Nevertheless, Adams owns a slightly above-average .258/.306/.463 slash in more than 2500 MLB plate appearances, serving primarily as a power bat against right-handed pitching. He’ll try to earn a return to the affiliated ranks with a strong showing in the American Association.
Big City. Another player ruined by home run obsessed coaches. Their single minded insistence that a big body should produce big home run totals changed his approach, stalled his development, and turned a promising hitter into a journeyman. Keep it up guys, Mother Manfred says its good for TV ratings.
Plus home runs shorten the game so short attention span viewers don’t whine as much.
And little Timmy won’t watch baseball without them batflips!
Don’t forget the chest pounding.
I wouldn’t say anybody ruined him. Even when he raked in the minors he showed next to no ability to take a walk. He was always a guy who needed to hit .300 to have any value because otherwise his OBP was going to be terrible.
No. The power potential was what kept him in the league. He had terrible On-Base skills, was a mediocre to poor fielder and couldn’t run.
Freeman moved over to 3B to make room on the roster for Big City.
I remember that. Adams raked when Freeman was out, with a wrist injury I think.
I attend several Monarchs games each season with my family. I’m thrilled by this. Always an awesome experience and even better when there’s a good mixture of young kids trying to break through and recognizable vets trying to stay in the game and/or just keep playing for the love of the game.
I would probably do everything I could to keep trying to get a MLB paycheck if I was a fringe MLB player like Matt Adams. Not like he’s going to earn that kind of money roofing or doing construction work.
He’s well past done in the majors. At be lucky to be considered for a minor league deal and would never get real roster time. He was a fringe player a couple years ago. Now he’s done.
@Cosmo2
Is he done? I am not suggesting he is or isn’t, because I do not have your crystal ball.
He had sporadic and inconsistent playing time over the past few years, for the amount of playing time and AB’s he had he did quite well. Now I suggest that you haven’t got a clue about baseball, because you’re disrespecting a player that has played at the highest level with limited opportunities over the past few years. If you had a clue you’d realise how hard it is to succeed when you’re either pinch hitting or playing some days and not others. Being a hitter, to get your timing going can take 50-60-70 consistent ab’s day in and day out for some guys, perhaps even more AB’s. Since you don’t understand this, it aptly demonstrates that you know nothing about the sport and how difficult it is for hitters. Furthermore, when Adams played consistently he did quite well.
And to support what I am saying, and I am not comparing these players, just using their AB’s as a guide.
Mookie Betts 48AB BA .208
Nelson Cruz 58AB BA .190
Stanton 55AB BA .218
Donaldson 49AB BA .190
etc etc…..
You’re making this too complicated. He’s 33. His career OPS+ is 104, not good for a first baseman, the only position he plays. Two years ago the Mets signed him to a minor league deal, he never made the team; he’s not better now than he was then. 70 plate appearances in the majors isn’t going to transform him. You’re over thinking.
You said he’s done, that may well be so. The point that I was making is that over the past few years he hasn’t got regular AB’s, that isn’t complicated, that affects his output. The guys I mentioned above are examples of players playing mostly every day so far and look at their averages. 2020 and 2021 were no guide as Adams hardly played at all.
He might have banked a little of that 14 mil.
He got his 10 years in the majors to secure a full pension, and I’m sure he saved at least some of the 13 million or so he made in the process.
Matt adams didn’t get the full 10 years of service time.
Being in the majors for parts of 10 years & getting 10 years of service time are far different. He doesn’t have a full pension but he has one & he made 13 million dollars. If he isn’t set up to be comfortable for the rest of his life—he’ll get no sympathy from me.
Yeah, if you want to earn that kind of money, you need to be a plumber, not a roofer.
No, seriously…huge money in dealing with people’s ****. Literally.
More power to them…
Adams is making the right move.
I guess it’s better than staying home and mowing the lawn.
“Baseball is what gets inside you. It’s what lights you up. You can’t deny that.”
I hear they are interested in Conforto
Desperate times, desperate measures. I wish him all the luck in the world.
Memorable 3-run homer he hit off Kershaw in 2014 NLDS.
Hey hes still playing a game and making money for it id trade places with him in a heartbeat
Some MLB team will sign him mid-season after an injury.
I don’t see how Japan or Korea wasn’t an option for him.
Maybe he didn’t want to uproot his family to Asia.
He would just have to uproot himself. His fam can fly over a few times a season.
Maybe he just doesn’t like living in tiny apt and ocean fish. Sure bet Big City likes his walleye and catfish.
He would just have to uproot himself. His fam can fly over a few times a season.
Maybe he just doesn’t like living in tiny apt and sushi. Sure bet Big City likes his walleye and catfish.
Ok, so he doesn’t want to be away from his family that long.
Who?
@BirdieMan
You obviously know nothing about baseball. Now go back to sleep.
If he never plays another MLB game, he’s already banked nearly $16 million, so — good for him.