Adam Gregory Plutko ( ; born October 3, 1991) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

LG Twins LG Corporation (or LG Group) (), formerly Lucky-Goldstar from 1983 to 1995 (Korean: ''Leokki Geumseong''; ), is a South Korean multinational conglomerate founded by Koo In-hwoi and managed by successive generations of his family. It is t ...

of the

KBO League The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...

. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

(UCLA), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

and

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

Amateur career

Plutko attended

Glendora High School Glendora High School (GHS) is located in Glendora, Los Angeles County, California, United States. History The high school was built in 1958 on land owned by Clarks Gordan, an orange grower. Before it was built, Glendora students attended Citrus ...

Glendora, California Glendora is a city in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California, east of Los Angeles. As of the 2020 census, the population of Glendora was 52,558. Known as the "Pride of the Foothills", Glendora is nestled in the foothills ...

, and then enrolled at the

(UCLA). Though he was selected by the Houston Astros in the sixth round of the

2010 Major League Baseball draft The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. First-round selections The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pi ...

, he opted not to sign with the Astros. At UCLA, Plutko was a member of the

UCLA Bruins baseball The UCLA Bruins baseball team is the varsity college baseball team of the University of California, Los Angeles. Having started playing in 1920, the program is a member of the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference. It plays its home games at Jackie ...

team. He was teammates with future MLB All-Stars

Gerrit Cole Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the baseball team ...

and

Trevor Bauer Trevor Andrew Bauer (born January 17, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, and Cincinnati Reds. Af ...

. In 2013, Plutko led the Bruins to their first NCAA Championship in baseball by beating

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

in the

2013 College World Series The 2013 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, May 31, 2013 as part of the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2013 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which beg ...

. During the World Series, he recorded wins against

Louisiana State Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisian ...

in the opening round of the World Series and in Game 1 of the Championship Series against Mississippi State. He was named the

College World Series Most Outstanding Player The College World Series Most Outstanding Player is an award for the best individual performance during the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The recipient of the award is announced at the completion of the College World Series Championship ...

Professional career

Cleveland Indians

The

selected Plutko in the 11th round of the

2013 Major League Baseball draft The 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2013. The first two rounds were broadcast from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. Each team received one selection per round, going in ...

. He signed with the Indians, but did not pitch for their Minor League Baseball affiliates that year due to a

stress fracture A stress fracture is a fatigue-induced bone fracture caused by repeated stress over time. Instead of resulting from a single severe impact, stress fractures are the result of accumulated injury from repeated submaximal loading, such as running or ...

in his shoulder. Plutko made his professional debut in 2014 with the

Lake County Captains The Lake County Captains are a Minor League Baseball team in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, that plays in the Midwest League as the High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. The Captains joined the Class A Midwest League following ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. In May, the Indians promoted Plutko to the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, and play their home games at Five County Stadium. ...

of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. In 28 games started between the two teams he compiled a 7–10 record and 4.03 ERA. He began the 2015 season with the

Lynchburg Hillcats The Lynchburg Hillcats are a Minor League Baseball team in Lynchburg, Virginia that plays in the Carolina League and is the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They were a farm team of the Atlanta Braves from 2011 to 2014, the Cincinna ...

of the Carolina League, and was promoted to the

Akron RubberDucks The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 7,630 ...

of the

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Eastern League in May. Plutko posted a 13–7 record, a 2.39 ERA, and a 0.93 WHIP in 27 starts between the two clubs. The Indians invited Plutko to spring training in 2016. He began the 2016 season with Akron and was promoted to the Columbus Clippers of the

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

International League on June 16. On September 20, 2016, the Indians purchased Plutko's contract from the Clippers and added him to their active roster. In 28 starts for Akron and Columbus prior to his call up, he pitched to a 9–8 record and 3.73 ERA. He made his major league debut on September 24 as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. Plutko spent all of 2017 with Columbus, going 7–12 with a 5.90 ERA in 24 games (22 starts). He began 2018 with Columbus, and was recalled on May 3 for one game. He was optioned back to Columbus the day after. He was recalled once again on May 23 to take over as the fifth starter for Cleveland after

Josh Tomlin Joshua Aubry Tomlin (born October 19, 1984) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves. Tomlin was drafted by the Indians in the 1 ...

was moved to the bullpen. He was sent back to Columbus, and threw a no-hitter on June 2. He finished with a record of 4–5 in 17 games (12 starts). The following season, Plutko was 7–5 in innings. Before the 2020 season, Plutko was moved to the bullpen. He got a spot start in the second game of a doubleheader against the White Sox, where he went six innings and struck out four while allowing two runs. With the 2020 Cleveland Indians, Plutko appeared in 10 games, compiling a 2–2 record with 4.88 ERA and 15 strikeouts in innings pitched.

Baltimore Orioles

On March 27, 2021, Plutko was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. In 38 games for Baltimore, Plutko posted a 6.71 ERA with 44 strikeouts. On August 15, 2021, Plutko was designated for assignment by the Orioles. On August 19, Plutko cleared waivers and was assigned outright to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

. On October 4, Plutko elected free agency.

LG Twins

On December 9, 2021, Plutko signed a one-year contract worth $500,000, with an additional $300,000 in achievable incentives, with the

of the

. On December 2, 2022, Plutko re-signed a one-year contract for the 2023 season worth $1.4 million.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plutko, Adam 1991 births Living people People from Upland, California Baseball players from California College World Series Most Outstanding Player Award winners Major League Baseball pitchers Cleveland Indians players Baltimore Orioles players UCLA Bruins baseball players Lake County Captains players Carolina Mudcats players Lynchburg Hillcats players Akron RubberDucks players Columbus Clippers players