Bio

Kyle Adkins may have lost some weight, but he hasn't lost any steam on his two-seamer.

Those emphases became the lifelong starter's two biggest during this offseason. Adkins is pleased that he's dropped some pounds, but perhaps more pleased that he can still drop the hammer with his premier pitch.

That pitch is the one that absolutely made him the ace at Antelope Valley. In his senior season there, he put up a perfect 7-0 record in nine appearances. Eight of them were starts, and two of those turned into complete games. Through an even 50 innings of work, Adkins accumulated 42 strikeouts against 17 walks, and with that wizardry, his WHIP wound up at 1.50 for the season.

That pitch is the one that made him a force of nature with the Wind. In Garden City, the Golden State native went 5-2 in nine regular season starts, becoming just one of seven pitchers in the Pecos League to earn that many wins. Adkins added two more complete games to his resume and tacked on one additional quality start, just for good measure. His strikeout stats were similar senior year as he fanned 46 of them, compared to 14 walks, in 58.1 innings.

Not only did Adkins show how sharp his arsenal can be, but he showed how sharp his approach can be too.

"I learned how to use my strengths depending on the wind or the ballpark for that day. I knew one day I'd have to go soft and away, and another I'd have to go hard and in all day," the righty said. "Overall, just trying to assert my strengths rather than worry about the hitters' weaknesses."

The hurler's whole game really blossomed in Garden City. With the glove, Adkins recorded seven defensive assists, one of only two pitchers in the league with that many. And not only did he field his position, but he pimped some fastballs too. He hammered three homers on the season, and after eight RBI, eight runs scored, plus a pair of doubles, he hit .286/.344/.679 in 28 at-bats.

Back to the bump: going forward, that pitch is the one that could cause a critical change for the course of his career.

"I actually want to move into the bullpen. I feel like I can be more electric and use my pitches to my strengths better out of there," Adkins said. "I love the intensity of relieving, and I feel like my stuff is sharper when I can attack with a mix earlier on rather than throwing all fastballs through three innings."

Now, obviously, the two-seam isn't his only pitch. The cutter he added this offseason makes it a now-five-pitch mix.

Even if he has shed some pounds, he hasn't shed any of his high expectations for himself ahead of this season.