Adam William Russell (born April 14, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched in Major League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays.

Amateur career

College

Russell was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 26th round (782nd overall) in the

2001 Major League Baseball Draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...

. Opting not to sign, he instead decided to play college baseball at Ohio University, where he did so for three years.

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

Russell was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2004 MLB draft. He made his professional debut that year, combining to go 4–2 with a 3.75 ERA in 17 appearances (six starts) between the Rookie-Level Great Falls Voyagers and Class-A Kannapolis Intimidators in . Russell went 4–0 with a 2.37 ERA to earn promotion to Kannapolis on August 23. He made two starts at Kannapolis. In , Russell made 24 starts for Class-A Kannapolis, going 9–7 with a 3.78 ERA. He ranked eighth among White Sox minor leaguers in ERA and finished second on the Intimidators in victories. Russell was rated by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' as the number seven prospect and possessing the best fastball in the White Sox farm system entering the season. He was 10–6 with a 3.43 ERA in 27 starts between Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem Warthogs and the Double-A

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

. Russell ranked among the organizational leaders in starts, wins, ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched. Opponents hit .248, including a .210 mark by lefties against Russell. He began the season at Winston-Salem, going 7–3 with a 2.66 ERA in 17 starts. He was promoted to Birmingham on July 12, where he went 3–3 with a 4.75 ERA in 10 starts. He was 2–0 with a 3.65 ERA in 13 relief appearances with the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League. In , Russell went 9–11 with a 4.80 ERA and one save in 38 games (20 starts) in his first full season with Double-A Birmingham. Russell began the season in the starting rotation before moving to the bullpen on July 21. He was 7–9 with a 4.61 ERA as a starter and 2–2 with a 5.60 ERA in relief. He made nine quality starts. Russell pitched for the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, going 2–0 with a 2.81 ERA in 11 relief appearances. Russell was again rated by ''Baseball America'' as the number seven prospect and possessing the best fastball in the White Sox farm system entering the season. On November 20, , Russell's contract was purchased by the White Sox, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. Russell split the season between the Triple-A Charlotte Knights of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

and the Major League White Sox in . He was 4–0 with a 5.19 ERA in 22 relief appearances in his first season in the Major Leagues. The four wins came in his first 10 Major League outings and three of his four wins came at home and all against American League Central opponents. He made his Major League debut on June 17 against the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

with one perfect inning pitched and his first strikeout against

José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...

. Russell earned his first major league win on July 1 as the White Sox defeated the Cleveland Indians 3–2 in 10 innings.

San Diego Padres

On July 31, 2009, Russell was traded to the San Diego Padres along with

Aaron Poreda Aaron Anderman Poreda (born October 1, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. A first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in the 2007 draft who threw a 97 mile-per-hour fastball, Poreda was named by '' Baseball America'' in ...

, Clayton Richard and Dexter Carter for

Jake Peavy Jacob Edward Peavy (born May 31, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and San Francisco Giants. He batted and threw right- ...

. In 15 games with the Padres, he went 3–1 with a 3.65 ERA in innings pitched.

Tampa Bay Rays

On December 17, 2010, a deal was finalized that sent Russell, along with Cesar Ramos,

Brandon Gomes Brandon Gomes (born July 15, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current baseball executive. He played for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2011 to 2015. After his playing career ended, Gomes joine ...

and

Cole Figueroa Stephen Coleman Figueroa (born June 30, 1987) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who played for the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates between 2014 and 2016. He currently works in the Tampa Bay Rays ...

, to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jason Bartlett and a player to be named later. Russell was designated for assignment on July 18, 2011. He cleared waivers a week later and was assigned to Triple-A on July 25.

Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves signed Russell to a minor league contract on November 22, 2011. He was released on July 21, 2012.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

On August 1, 2012, Russell signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and was assigned to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.

Baltimore Orioles

Russell signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on December 5, 2012. He was assigned to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides for the 2013 season, going 3–3 with five saves and a 2.37 ERA in 42 games (three starts).

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks signed Russell to a minor league contract on November 29, 2013. The Diamondbacks released him on March 27, 2014.

Cincinnati Reds

Russell signed a minor league deal with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

on May 2, 2014. He was released on July 28, 2014.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Adam 1983 births Living people People from North Olmsted, Ohio Major League Baseball pitchers Chicago White Sox players San Diego Padres players Tampa Bay Rays players Ohio Bobcats baseball players Charlotte Knights players Birmingham Barons players Winston-Salem Warthogs players Great Falls White Sox players Kannapolis Intimidators players Portland Beavers players Durham Bulls players Gwinnett Braves players Arkansas Travelers players Salt Lake Bees players Norfolk Tides players Baseball players from Cuyahoga County, Ohio