When Gavin Adams was selected with the very first pick of the third day of the MLB Draft Tuesday, it seemed all but certain that the Florida State commit would not make it to Tallahassee.
After all, the Washington Nationals had the entire night before to work out a verbal deal with Adams considering they had the first pick of the day.
However, it turns out he has decided to bet on himself and enroll with the Seminoles. After he was taken 315th overall in the 11th round, the right-handed pitcher confirmed to the Osceola on Wednesday that he will be choosing FSU over the Nationals.
Adams, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound pitcher originally from Boynton Beach, has developed into quite a prospect after spending his freshman season at State College of Florida and his sophomore season at Indian River State College this past spring.
This season, he threw 26.1 innings at IRSC, striking out 44 batters over that time and posting a 3.76 ERA. He sits in the mid-90s with his fastball but can touch 99 miles per hour and works off that pitch with a nasty slider.
What role Adams takes on the FSU pitching staff remains to be seen. Given his high strikeout numbers and high velocity, he may be served well as a high-leverage, late-game reliever for the Seminoles.
Adams is the first of a few dominoes to fall when it comes to FSU commits who were drafted on the third and final day of this year's draft. JUCO outfielder Nelson Taylor was taken a few picks after Adams in the 11th round. Junior college pitcher commit Cale Lansville was taken in the 14th round and UNC-Wilmington pitcher transfer Ethan Chenault, who transferred to FSU dependent on where he was drafted, was taken in the 18th round.
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