1. Early Life and Amateur Career
Jonathan Scott Adkins' early life included his academic pursuits and initial foray into baseball through collegiate summer leagues, leading to his selection in the MLB draft.
1.1. Collegiate and Collegiate Summer Baseball Career
Adkins attended Oklahoma State University. In 1996, he participated in collegiate summer baseball, playing for the Orleans Cardinals in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League.
1.2. MLB Draft
Adkins' talent was recognized when he was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the ninth round of the 1998 Major League Baseball draft.
2. Professional Playing Career
Adkins' professional baseball journey spanned multiple years in Major League Baseball and a significant stint in the KBO League, where he made a notable impact as a closer.
2.1. Major League Baseball (MLB)
Jonathan Scott Adkins played six seasons in Major League Baseball. He began his MLB career with the Chicago White Sox, playing for them from 2003 to 2005. He then moved to the San Diego Padres in April 2006, where he pitched in three games before being optioned to the Padres' Triple-A affiliate, the Portland Beavers. On November 15, 2006, Adkins was part of a trade, moving to the New York Mets along with Ben Johnson in exchange for Heath Bell and Royce Ring. With the Mets, he was called up from the minor leagues on July 28, 2007.
Adkins signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds on December 6, 2007. During his time with the Reds' Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats, Adkins served as their closer, leading the International League with 30 saves and posting an ERA of 3.48. He was recalled to the Reds on September 9, where he pitched one-third of an inning and earned the win. Predominantly used as a middle reliever throughout his MLB career, Adkins appeared in a total of 119 games, recording 5 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 4.54 across his six seasons. Following his KBO League stint, he signed another minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds on December 2, 2009. He was subsequently released by Cincinnati on July 11, 2010, and then signed with the Chicago White Sox on July 29, 2010, being assigned to Triple-A Charlotte.
2.2. KBO League
In January 2009, Adkins, known in Korea as 조너선 스콧 애드킨스Jonathan Scott AdkinsKorean, signed with the KBO League's Lotte Giants on a contract worth a 100.00 K USD signing bonus and an annual salary of 200.00 K USD. During his tenure with the Lotte Giants, Adkins primarily functioned as the team's closer. In the 2009 season, he achieved a significant milestone by leading the KBO League in saves with 26, sharing the saves title with Doosan Bears pitcher Lee Yong-chan. This achievement marked several firsts: it was the KBO's first instance of a co-saves leader, the first time a foreign player led the league in saves, and the first time a Lotte Giants pitcher won the saves title in the team's history. Despite his success in collecting saves, Adkins' ERA of 3.83 was considered relatively high for a closer. Following the season, he underwent back surgery. Due to this high ERA and the post-season surgery, the Lotte Giants opted not to re-sign him for the following season.
3. Career Statistics
A summary of Jonathan Scott Adkins' professional playing statistics is provided below, highlighting his performance in the KBO League. Across his six seasons in Major League Baseball, Adkins appeared in 119 games, recording 5 wins, 5 losses, and a 4.54 ERA. With the Triple-A Louisville Bats, he achieved 30 saves and a 3.48 ERA in 2008.
| Year | Team | ERA | Games | Wins | Losses | Saves | Holds | Complete Games | Shutouts | Innings Pitched | Hits Allowed | Home Runs Allowed | Walks/Hit Batters | Strikeouts | Runs Allowed | Earned Runs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Lotte | 3.83 | 50 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 1/3 | 49 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 21 | 21 |
4. Scouting Career
After concluding his playing career, Jonathan Scott Adkins transitioned into baseball scouting. He was released by the Chicago White Sox in September 2010, marking the end of his active playing days in 2010. In January 2011, he was appointed to the amateur scouting staff of the Boston Red Sox, where he was responsible for covering the Ohio River Valley region. Following five years of service with the Boston Red Sox, Adkins moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers, joining their scouting department in 2016 as a Northeast scouting cross-checker.