Robert Henry Adams (December 14, 1921 – February 13, 1997) was 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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

and second baseman. He 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), ...

from 1946 through 1959 for the Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs,

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

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) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

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 located ...

. He batted and threw right-handed, stood at tall and weighed . He was born in

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises the ...

. In a 14-season career, Adams posted a .269

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 37

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s and 303 RBI in 1281

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. Adams started his Major League career in 1946 with Cincinnati as their regular second baseman. Despite his infield background, the next five years he served mostly as a backup for

Grady Hatton Grady Edgebert Hatton Jr. (October 7, 1922 – April 11, 2013) was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, Chicago White Sox, Bost ...

(3B) and

Connie Ryan Cornelius Joseph Ryan (February 27, 1920 – January 3, 1996) was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach (baseball), coach and manager (baseball), manager who served as interim manager of two Major League Baseball ...

(2B). Finally, Adams became the regular third baseman for Cincinnati in 1951. His most productive season came in , when he led the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

(152),

at-bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a bat ...

s (637) and games (154), while batting .283 with career-numbers in

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(180) and doubles (25). He also was considered in

National League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

voting. In the 1955 midseason, Adams was purchased by the Chicago White Sox. Traded to the Baltimore Orioles before 1956, he also played for the Chicago Cubs from 1957 to 1959, helping young infielders improve their play. Following his playing career, Adams continued as a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

with the Cubs and was a member of the team's experimental

College of Coaches The College of Coaches was an unorthodox baseball organizational practice employed by the National League's Chicago Cubs in and . After the Cubs finished 60–94 in , their 14th straight NL second-division finish, Cubs owner P. K. Wrigley annou ...

. In 1966, the organization named him club president of the Triple-A Tacoma Cubs of the

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

. But Adams’ six-year tenure in Tacoma ended after the 1971 season, when Chicago moved its Triple-A affiliate to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

. After that, he again coached for the Cubs, in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

, then retired from baseball. Bobby Adams died in

Gig Harbor, Washington Gig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington,. The population was 12,029 at the 2020 census. Gig Harbor is one of several cities and towns that claim to be "the gateway to the Olympic ...

, at age 75.

Facts

*Adams hit a leadoff homerun against Robin Roberts that end up being the only hit the Cincinnati Redlegs get in the 8–1 loss on May 13, 1954 *Brother of 1B

Dick Adams Dick Adams may refer to: * Dick Adams (politician) (born 1951), Australian politician * Dick Adams (baseball) (1920–2016), American Major League Baseball player * Dick Adams (Canadian football) (born 1948), Canadian football player See also * R ...

and father of OF Mike Adams.

External links

Bobby Adams
at The Deadball Era * {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Bobby 1921 births 1997 deaths Baseball players from California Major League Baseball second basemen Major League Baseball third basemen Cincinnati Reds players Cincinnati Redlegs players Chicago White Sox players Baltimore Orioles players Ogden Reds players Columbia Reds players San Antonio Missions managers Seattle Rainiers players Portland Beavers players Syracuse Chiefs players Miami Marlins (IL) players San Antonio Missions players Chicago Cubs players Chicago Cubs coaches United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II People from Tuolumne County, California