Adam Stern: Difference between revisions

Adam Stern
Milwaukee Brewers – No. --
Outfielder
Bats: Left Throws: Right
debut
July 7, 2005, for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics (through 2008 season)
Batting average	.143
Home runs	1
Runs batted in	6
Teams
Boston Red Sox (2005–2006) Baltimore Orioles (2007)

Adam James Stern (born February 12, 1980, in London, Ontario) is a Canadian outfielder in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

He bats left-handed, and throws right-handed. He was dubbed the "Canadian Babe Ruth" by Cleveland Indians outfielder Trot Nixon. Stern is the second Jewish player from Canada in major league history. The first was Goody Rosen. He, Kevin Youkilis, and Gabe Kapler set a record for most Jewish players on a team at once since the expansion era. ^[1]

Stern is primarily a line drive hitter to all parts of the field, with occasional power. He has good speed, and is a smart base runner. Defensively, he has a strong and accurate arm, and can play all three outfield positions.

Stern's sport interests in his youth were track and field, volleyball, and baseball.^[2]

Stern played badger baseball in london ont from the age of 16 to the age of 18.

Stern played three years on a baseball scholarship at the University of Nebraska, from which he graduated with a Sociology degree. He hit .356 as a sophomore in 2000 to earn 2nd-Team All-Big 12 honors. In 2001, he appeared in the College World Series, and was named First-Team Academic All-Big 12, as well as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, after hitting .292 with 68 runs and 27 stolen bases in 64 games.

He was drafted twice: first, by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round of the 1998 draft (651st overall), and then by the Atlanta Braves in the 3rd round of the 2001 draft (105th overall), before moving to the Boston Red Sox in 2004 as a Rule 5 Draft pick.

In 2002, Stern stole 40 bases in 48 attempts for Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League.

In 2004, Stern started in left field for the Southern League's Eastern Division All-Star team, and was named an outfielder on the league's year-end All-Star club. He hit .322 with 64 runs, 26 doubles, and 27 stolen bases in 102 games. He ranked 3rd in the league in hitting, 8th with a .378 on base percentage, and 9th with a .480 slugging percentage. His 27 steals were 3rd-most in the Braves system, and he had 41 multi-hit games in 99 starts. He was named Atlanta's Double-A Player of the Year. Stern missed 26 games to play for Team Canada at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, where he hit .250 (8-for-32) with 4 RBIs and 9 runs in 9 games.

The Boston Red Sox made Stern a Rule 5 draft selection from the Braves in 2004. In 2005, he batted .321 (26-for-81) with 8 doubles, 14 RBIs, and 3 steals during a pair of rehab stints with Pawtucket, including a 21-game hitting streak.

In 2009, while playing for the Huntsville Stars, as of July 9 Stern was second in the Southern League in steals (27), runs (58), and triples (6), third in hits (95).[2] Stern was selected to be a starting right fielder for the Southern League North Division All Star team, with the game to be played July 14 in Birmingham.[3]

Stern made his major league debut with the Red Sox on July 7, 2005. His debut was delayed first by a fractured right thumb he sustained while sliding in spring training, then by a hamstring injury.

On August 8, 2005, while playing for the Red Sox, Stern took the field in the 9th inning along with Kevin Youkilis and Gabe Kapler, setting a "record" for the most Jewish players on the field at one time in American League history and the most in Major League Baseball history since four Jews took the field for the New York Giants in a game in 1941. ^[3]

He played all three outfield positions in 2005, but was used primarily in right field. Due to injuries in 2005, Stern fell short of the time Rule 5 picks are required to be on a 25-man major league roster. After spending 18 days on the roster to start the 2006 season (during which he made a game-saving catch against the Devil Rays), as required to fulfill his Rule 5 obligations, Stern was optioned to Pawtucket on April 20.^[4] With the Red Sox, he again played all three outfield positions in 2006, but was used primarily in center field.

Over the first two years of his major league career, he played errorless defense with better than average range at each position.^[5]

On October 3, 2006, Stern passed through waivers and was traded by the Red Sox to the Baltimore Orioles to complete a deal for catcher Javy López and cash.

In January 2007, Stern reached a one-year deal with the Orioles.^[6] Limited to 14 games in spring training, because of a strained right oblique muscle and a bout of food poisoning, Stern was 5–18 with 3 walks, 3 strikeouts, and 3 stolen bases in 3 attempts.^[7] On March 28, the Orioles optioned Stern to the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. Norfolk vice president Jim Duquette noted, "With Stern, we didn't feel like we had the opportunity to see an awful lot of him, and we feel like he needs more time down in the minor leagues. He was one of the guys we were talking about all spring."^[8]

On April 17, he was called up for the first time to the Baltimore Orioles, and made two appearances in the outfield without any at bats and was sent back down. It was his only major league action of the season. He was released by the Orioles on June 10, 2008.

Stern signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in January 2009.

On March 8, 2006, Stern had a superb game for Team Canada against the United States in the first World Baseball Classic, just a double short of hitting for the cycle, including an inside-the-park home run, and driving in 4 runs. He also made a couple of excellent catches in center field. Canada won the game 8-6, pulling off the biggest upset of the tournament. In the series, he batted 6 for 9.[4]

In January 2007, he was awarded the first Stubby Clapp Award at the fifth annual Baseball Canada fund raiser. The award goes to a player who shows desire, competitiveness, and a never-say-die attitude. ^[9]

In March 2008, he played for Team Canada in Taiwan as they competed in an 8-team tournament for a berth in the 2008 Summer Olympics. They won one of the three tickets to the Summer Games, joining Taiwan and South Korea.^[10] At the Olympics, Stern was Team Canada's center fielder for all seven of its games, playing errorless defence and chipping in with four hits, including a pair of triples and three RBIs. He was the second-highest scorer on the team, with four runs.^[11]

In March 2009, Stern played for Team Canada in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs
• Baseball America statistics
• "Minor League's Top Jewish Prospects." 10 May 2006.

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