Jason Kendall Adam (born August 4, 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 professiona ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, who attempts to e ...

for the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home v ...

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) and the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. He has previously played in MLB for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expa ...

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

Professional career

In his senior season at

Blue Valley Northwest High School Blue Valley Northwest High School (BVNW) is a high school in Overland Park, Kansas, United States. Blue Valley Northwest is one of five high schools operated by Blue Valley USD 229 school district. Blue Valley Northwest is a member of the Kansas ...

, Adam pitched innings with a 2.16

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the numb ...

. His 79

strikeouts In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

to just 7 walks impressed scouts.

Kansas City Royals

The

drafted Adam in the fifth round of the

2010 MLB 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 pic ...

and he signed with the Royals, forgoing his college commitment to the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

. He made his professional debut in 2011 for the Single-A

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play their h ...

, recording a 6–9 record and 4.23 ERA in 21 appearances. The next year, Adam spent the season with the High-A

Wilmington Blue Rocks The Wilmington Blue Rocks are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Wilmington, Delaware, and play their home games at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium. ...

, pitching to a 7–12 record and 3.53 ERA in 158.0 innings pitched. In 2013, Adam played for the Double-A

Northwest Arkansas Naturals The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are a Minor League Baseball team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The team is a member of the Texas League, and serves as the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at Arvest Ballpark, which ...

, registering a 8–11 record and 5.19 ERA in 26 games. He appeared in 26 games between the Naturals and the Triple-A

Omaha Storm Chasers The Omaha Storm Chasers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. They are located in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb southwest of Omaha, and play their home games at Wer ...

in 2014.

Minnesota Twins

On August 11, 2014, Adam was traded to the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...

in exchange for

Josh Willingham Joshua David Willingham (born February 17, 1979) is a former American professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City ...

. Adam did not play in a game in 2015 or 2016 due to injury and elected free agency on November 7, 2016.

San Diego Padres

On July 20, 2017, Adam signed a minor league deal with the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

organization. Adam pitched 2.0 scoreless innings for the Double-A

San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. They are located in San Antonio, Texas, and are named for the Spanish missions around which the city was founded ...

, and appeared in 7 games for the

AZL Padres The Arizona Complex League Padres are a Rookie-level affiliate of the San Diego Padres, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona, which is also the ...

before he was released on August 14, 2017.

Kansas City Royals (second stint)

On August 18, 2017, Adam signed a minor league contract with the

. He finished the year with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, posting a 7.11 ERA in 5 appearances. The Royals called up Adam on May 4, 2018, and he made his major league debut the next day. In 2018, Adam appeared in 31 games, registering an ERA of 6.12 in innings. On November 30, he was non-tendered by the Royals, making him a free agent. On December 17, 2018, the Royals re-signed Adam to a minor league contract.

Toronto Blue Jays

On March 17, 2019, Adam was traded to the

in exchange for cash considerations. He was assigned to AAA

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

and put on the injured list to start the 2019 season. On August 1, the Blue Jays selected Adam's contract to the active roster. Adam earned his first major league

win Win or WIN may refer to: * A victory Arts and entertainment Film * '' Win!'', a 2016 American film Literature * ''Win'' (Coben novel), a 2121 novel by Harlan Coben * WIN (pacifist magazine), published by the War Resisters League * WIN (wrest ...

on August 10, pitching an inning of relief in Toronto's 5–4 victory over the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. He finished the season with a 2.91 ERA in 23 games with the Blue Jays. He gave up the lowest percentage of hard-hit balls of all major league pitchers (20.0%). Adam became a free agent on December 2 after being non-tendered by the Blue Jays.

Chicago Cubs

On January 14, 2020, Adam signed a minor league contract with the

organization. On August 16, 2020, Adam was selected to the active roster. On the season, he pitched to a 3.29 ERA and a 2–1 record with 21 strikeouts in 13.2 innings of work. Adam pitched to an 8.22 ERA in 9 appearances to begin 2021 before he was sent down to the Triple-A

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The Cubs play their ho ...

. On May 21, 2021, Adam underwent surgery to repair a dislocated left ankle. He was designated for assignment by the Cubs on May 25. On May 26, Adam was released by Chicago. Adam re-signed with the Cubs on a minor league contract on July 12. On September 26, Adam was selected to the 40-man and active rosters. On November 30, Adam was non-tendered by the Cubs, making him a free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays

On March 17, 2022, Adam signed a one-year deal with the

. On June 4, 2022, Adam, along with four other Rays teammates, opted out of wearing a Rays team logo and cap in support of LGBTQ+ Pride, during the team's annual Pride Night celebration at

Tropicana Field Tropicana Field (commonly known as the Trop) is a multi-purpose domed stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The stadium has been the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) since the team's inaugural seas ...

. Adam, as the player chosen by team officials to speak for those that opted out, said that “A lot of it comes down to faith, to like a faith-based decision…we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who's encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior.” Adam's salary for the 2023 season was determined by the arbitration process to be $1.775 million.

International career

Adam was named as a relief pitcher for the

in the

2023 World Baseball Classic The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), an international professional baseball tournament, is set to be the fifth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. It was originally set for 2021 (as per tradition to hold the event every four years), but wa ...

. Over the course of 4.0 innings pitched in four games, he allowed zero runs and just one hit (a double to

Salvador Pérez Salvador Johan Pérez Diaz (born May 10, 1990), nicknamed "Salvy", is a Venezuelan-American professional baseball catcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a seven-time MLB All-Star, five-time Gold Glove Award wi ...

in Team USA's quarterfinal win against

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

), while getting five strikeouts. He pitched in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

against Japan, issuing three walks but striking out

Munetaka Murakami is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Amateur career Munetaka started playing baseball at five years of age. He entered Kyushū Gakuin Integrated High School where he ...

and

Kazuma Okamoto is a Japanese professional baseball infielder for the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Career He has been selected as an all-star twice, and was named the Central League Climax Series MVP in 2019. In 2020, he le ...

Personal life

Adam is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

. Adam is married to Kelsey Adam. They have three children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Jason 1991 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona League Padres players Baseball players from Kansas Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago Cubs players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Kane County Cougars players Kansas City Royals players Major League Baseball pitchers New Britain Rock Cats players Northwest Arkansas Naturals players Omaha Storm Chasers players Sportspeople from Overland Park, Kansas Peoria Javelinas players Salt River Rafters players San Antonio Missions players Tampa Bay Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Wilmington Blue Rocks players 2023 World Baseball Classic players