Adams Ready To Step Back Into Batter's Box
Monday, February 14, 2011 | Baseball, Scott Carter
There was little evidence to go by other than the nightly box scores.
To Florida assistant coach Brad Weitzel, Gator second baseman Josh Adams looked much like the same player he remembered from the time he first saw Adams.
“He is the kind of player that has always intrigued me,'' Weitzel said. “I wanted a baseball grinder.''
Prior to joining Kevin O'Sullivan's staff at Florida, Weitzel spent 16 years as head of Florida scouting for the Minnesota Twins, signing such players as future Major Leaguers A.J. Pierzynski, Denard Span and Doug Mientkiewicz. Weitzel roamed the entire state to find young talent, and he knew Adams was his kind of player from the moment he watched him play in high school at Eagle's View Academy in Jacksonville.
“He has a feel for the game,'' Weitzel said. “He knows what is going to happen before it happens.''
So, it was difficult for Weitzel to watch at times last season as Adams struggled to do something he had been doing successfully his entire career: hit a baseball.
In his first two seasons at Florida, Adams became the first UF player to earn first-team All-SEC honors since Brad Wilkerson a decade earlier. As a freshman, Adams hit .330 with eight homers and 51 RBIs. As a sophomore, he didn't miss a beat, hitting .342 with eight homers and 52 RBIs.
However, junior seasons can often be tricky for college players. That's the year they can go back into the Draft and sign professionally. Suddenly, the future becomes a hot topic and the pressure can build.
In Adams' case, he was originally selected by the Twins in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft. But right around that time Weitzel left the Twins to join O'Sullivan's staff.
Adams decided Florida was the place for him, too. Weitzel looks back at how the stars seemed to align.
“I like to tell everybody, 'Josh would have never made it here because I would have signed him if I had stayed with the Twins,' '' Weitzel said. “It's funny how things work out.''
Their first two seasons together with the Gators couldn't have gone more smoothly. Weitzel was back in the dugout with O'Sullivan and assistant Craig Bell – he coached both when they played – and Adams was smacking around pitches against SEC hurlers the same way he did those high school pitchers around Jacksonville.
But as a junior, the magic in Adams' bat disappeared. Suddenly, one of the SEC's top hitters was often batting at the bottom of the order as the Gators headed toward their first College World Series appearance in five years.
Adams did what hitters do when they struggle. He made adjustments. He studied more film. His best friend became the batting cage.
“That's probably the only time in my life where I struggled as a hitter,'' Adams said. “I tried everything at one point or another.''
Adams hit a career-high nine home runs and finished with 42 RBIs, but his .224 average was more than 100 points below his career average. In SEC play, Adams flirted with the Medonza Line by hitting .206.
Still, Adams had his moments in a memorable season for the Gators.
When the Gators clinched the SEC title in the final regular-season series of the season, Adams hit .462 (6-for-13) with five RBIs against eventual national champion South Carolina.
That's when Adams is at his best, according to Weitzel.
“He's motivated by big situations,'' Weitzel said. “He's the best amateur player I've ever coached.''
That's also why Weitzel expects Adams to have a strong bounce-back season.
The Gators have improved in each of Adams' three seasons, and with Florida ranked No. 1 by Baseball America entering Friday's season opener at home against USF, Adams remains a strong part of the nucleus that has pundits predicting big things for the Gators.
Adams has played in 182 games over the past three seasons and has the same goal today as when he arrived at Florida: to win a College World Series. He knows for that to happen his bat will likely need to play a large role.
“I was back in the cage right after the season,'' he said. “It's just one of those things. I don't really have an explanation. I know most of it was mental. I'm my own worst enemy.
“I do feel comfortable at the plate right now. This is a really good lineup to hit in and I just want to do my part.''
When Adams is hitting like he normally does, he usually bats second in the lineup. Last season, he batted everywhere but leadoff, third and fourth. Through all the struggles at the plate last season, Weitzel saw the same player that captured his attention when he was with the Twins.
“His glove never struggled,'' Weitzel said. “His instincts never struggled.''
Weitzel has a scenario he'd like to see happen since Adams is so versatile. First, he wants to see Adams rediscover his batting stroke, and then, he hopes to see Adams play all nine positions in the field.
“Josh could do that,'' he said.
