Buster Adams
From BR Bullpen
Elvin Clark Adams
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- Debut April 27, 1939
- Final Game September 21, 1947
- Born June 24, 1915 in Trinidad, CO USA
- Died September 1, 1990 in Rancho Mirage, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
California native Buster Adams spent seventeen active seasons in professional baseball from 1935 to 1951. Joyce spent until 1939 in the minors before getting his first chance in the major leagues. He opened his career with the Springfield Cardinals of the class C Western Association in 1935, where he played the season at the third base position. He appeared in 133 games and hit 19 home runs with a .290 batting average. Buster made 50 miscues at the hot-corner for a .871 fielding percentage and became an outfielder for the remainder of his career. He played only AA ball or better for the balance of his playing days.
Adams made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 27, 1939, appearing in two games with one at-bat and no hits and spent the rest of the season with the Columbus Red Birds and the Sacramento Solons where he hit .265 and seven homers. 1942 rolled around and Adams had his fifth season with the Sacramento Club, and by far his best, when he appeared in 178 games, had 27 home runs and a .309 batting average.
This earned him his second chance in the big leagues and he opened with the Cardinals in 1943. He appeared in just eight games for the team and on June 1, 1943 the Cardinals traded Adams along with Dain Clay and Coaker Triplett to the Philadelphia Blue Jays for Danny Litwhiler and Earl Naylor. Buster appeared in 111 games with the 1943 Blue Jays and hit .256 with four homers. He also played well in the 1944 season, hitting .283 with 17 home runs. However, Buster started slowly in 1945 and the Phillies traded him back to the Cardinals for John Antonelli and Glenn Crawford.
It's very possible that the Philadelphia front office deemed this trade a bad mistake, as Buster had a career year during the rest of 1945 season. He appeared in 140 games, hit a career-high .292, had 101 RBI along with 104 runs scored and hit 20 four-baggers. His numbers undoubtedly helped the Cardinals to their second-place finish, just three games back of the pennant-winning Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, the hapless Phillies finished dead last with a 46-108 record, 52 games in arrears.
Buster's luck changed when so many major leaguers returned from the war in 1946. He appeared in 81 games with five homers and a .185 batting average. However the love affair between Buster and the Phillies continued and they purchased him back from the Cardinals on March 21, 1947. Adams appeared in 69 games, hitting .247 with just two homers and he played his last game in The Show on September 21, 1947. This finished out his major league run, having appeared in 576 games with 50 home runs and a career .266 batting average.
Adams spent four more years (1948-1951) in baseball, all in the Pacific Coast League and probably had his best year in the minors when he hit .318 with 15 home runs for the San Diego Padres in 1950 at the age of 35. Adams finished out his twelve-year minor league run in 1951 in the PCL with a career .280 batting average for 5,151 at-bats. He also had 169 home runs and played in 1,503 games.
After baseball, and until his retirement, Adams worked and lived in Rancho Mirage, CA. He died from congestive heart failure at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage on September 1, 1990. He was 75 years of age.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1945)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 1 (1945)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1945)
