Adams eager to help Jays win
02/03/2006There will be a lot of new guys on Toronto's roster this season, but Russ Adams isn't one of them. He had that distinction last year during his first full campaign as the Blue Jays shortstop.
Adams has the luxury of showing up to Spring Training as one of the few Toronto players whose position was not tampered with during the offseason. He'll have a new face to his right at third base, a new double-play partner to his left at second and a team that is new to preseason playoff discussion.
All those changes have created a buzz not only around Toronto, but also down at its Spring Training complex in Dunedin, Fla., where Adams and a few other Blue Jays have already arrived.
"Everybody seems to be really pumped up and really excited," Adams said on Wednesday. "We got the guys that we were going after, and it was a lot of fun to watch and keep up with this offseason. Everybody is looking forward to getting the season started."
Adams showed up in Dunedin about two weeks ago. He said pitchers Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and a lot of Minor Leaguers had also reported early to begin preparing for the upcoming season.
"I usually come a good month early, just to make sure I'm in good weather," Adams said. "We have [a] good run of the whole complex. Our strength trainer, Donovan Santas, and a few of the Minor League instructors and trainers are here. It's a little more organized than you could do on your own."
One player Adams is looking forward to seeing is Aaron Hill, Toronto's new second baseman after Orlando Hudson was traded to Arizona. Adams said Hill is planning to head to Dunedin early to begin workouts, too.
Adams and Hill, 23, had limited time as Toronto's double-play tandem last season. Hill played only 22 games at second base late in the year, when he was filling in for the injured Hudson. Both Adams and Hill were rookies last season, and they'll need all the extra work they can get to become the type of duo the Blue Jays believe they can be.
"It'll take a little bit of getting used to one another, but it all comes in time and comes with work," Adams said. "We'll get plenty of that. Once he gets here, we'll start going at it, and the more you play alongside someone, the more comfortable you get. It's just going to take time."
Adams understands that the learning process isn't merely going to involve getting used to his new partner up the middle. The 25-year-old struggled with throwing accuracy at times last season and committed 26 errors.
Adams is well aware of that statistic and expects to show progress defensively this year.
"It's a position that you have to be mentally strong to play, and you're only going to get more confident the longer you stay there," he said. "Getting more comfortable with the position and playing it at that level is a big key. The more I work and the more games I play, the better it'll get. So I'm looking forward to getting things cranked back up."
Weight training has consumed the majority of Adams' offseason workout routine, but he picked up the bat and started throwing again in December.
Adams hit .256 with eight home runs and 63 RBIs in 139 games for the Blue Jays last year. He spent a lot of his time as the leadoff hitter, and that could be the case again this season. Adams said he hasn't discussed where he'll fit in the lineup with any of the coaches yet, but he's willing to work wherever they want him to.
Toronto upgraded this offseason with the acquisitions of Troy Glaus, Lyle Overbay, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan, but the team's young cast already in place will play an important role. Adams and Hill join left-hander Gustavo Chacin as Toronto's second-year players. Outfielder Alex Rios and pitchers Jason Frasor and Vinnie Chulk are each entering their third full season in the Majors.
It's fair to say that Toronto's level of success this year will be dependant as much on its young players as on the new additions.
"I think [the younger players are] very important. We've got a lot of new faces, but over the course of 162 games, it's a total team effort," Adams said. "I think we put ourselves in a position to [succeed], but now it's time to go to work and figure out how to work together and achieve that."
For Adams and a handful of other Toronto players, that process has already begun in Florida.
Source: http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/
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