Adam Bass
From BR Bullpen
Adam Randle Bass
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 6", Weight 210 lb.
- School University of Alabama in Huntsville
- High School Madison (AL) Academy
- Born July 31, 1981 in Kokomo, IN USA
Adam Bass played five years in the minor leagues before joining the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan.
Bass went 29-7 with two saves, a 3.57 ERA and 245 strikeouts in 282 innings for the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a strong NCAA Division II team. He set school records for wins, innings, starts and strikeouts. He also pitched for the 2002 Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, with a 4.26 ERA and one save in four games. The Arizona Diamondbacks took him in the 10th round of the 2003 amateur draft.
He debuted with the Yakima Bears and dazzled, with a 0.80 ERA. In 33 2/3 innings over 27 appearances, he struck out 34 and saved three games. He allowed a .209 average and had no decisions. Baseball America did not rank him among the top twenty prospects in thge Northwest League.
Bass jumped to high class A for 2004, in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. He went 10-8 with a 5.03 ERA and .304 opponent batting average for the Lancaster JetHawks.
In 2005, Bass fell to 5-10 while his ERA improved to 3.99 in his AA debut for the Tennessee Smokies. He split 2006 between Tennessee (2-3, 4.50 in 9 games) and the AAA Tucson Sidewinders (9-4, 4.76 for the Pacific Coast League titlists).
Bass began 2007 with Tucson and went 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 19 games, mostly in relief. The Rakuten Golden Eagles became interested and signed him for 30 million yen (around $250,000) and a 20 million yen signing bonus (around $160,000). Bass debuted for Rakuten on July 18 and struck out 6 and allowed 6, giving up two runs in 4 1/3 innings in a no-decision.
