Lane Adams

Born in Talihina, Oklahoma, on November 13, 1989, Lane Weston Adams is a child of the Heartland, raised in his hometown of Red Oak, Oklahoma. He is of Choctaw heritage and a member of the Choctaw Nation.1 It is thus only fitting that he made his major-league debut with the nearby Kansas City Royals in neighboring Missouri.

But well before Adams found his way to Kauffman Stadium on the night of September 1, 2014, he made news as a young multisport superstar in Red Oak.

The son of Shelly and older brother to Chance, Lane was likely known better to locals as a basketball star. As an eighth-grader, he believed he could play pro basketball.2 There was even a time when Adams wanted to quit baseball, but his mother told him he would have to get a job at Sonic fast-food instead, so he stayed with it despite being a basketball-focused teenager.3 4 While at Red Oak High School, he played guard for the basketball team and scored 3,251 points in his interscholastic career, making him the fifth-highest scorer in Oklahoma high-school basketball. His 93.7 percent free-throw percentage as a junior led all of Oklahoma.5 Adams told the McAlester News Capital that 300 people lined up outside the gym before one of their home games.6 (According to the 2010 Census, only 549 people resided in Red Oak) His team won a state championship during his senior season in 2009. He was not heavily recruited to play collegiate baseball and committed to play basketball for Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.7 The 6-foot-4, 190-pound player did receive an invitation to work out with the New York Yankees, but turned it down because he was primarily focusing on basketball.8 He also received offers from numerous other college basketball programs, though interest waned as it became clear that Adams was garnering interest as a baseball prospect and could sign with a major-league baseball team.9

Aside from his talents on the hardwood, Adams was also known for his overall quickness and speed, a trait that served him well as a right-handed throwing and batting outfielder. He never competed in track and field as a result of Red Oak High School not having a team, but perhaps it was unlikely that he would have anyway since he was a baseball standout in the spring. In the spring of 2008, Adams led Red Oak to a state championship in baseball and then another baseball title in the fall. Small schools in Oklahoma like his did not have football programs, so many talented players like Adams had the opportunity to refine their baseball skills in the fall as well. That ultimately played a huge role in the baseball exposure Adams received growing up.10

The Royals drafted Adams in the 13th round of the June 2009 amateur draft.

Adams was faced with a major decision. He was forced to either forgo his opportunity with Missouri State and sign with the Royals, or stay in school and likely not play baseball professionally again. As someone who was a basketball standout, the decision was a hard one. Adams did not want to give up basketball, but he also did not want to have regrets about passing up the opportunity to play professional sports.11 With strong counsel from his mother, who handled his negotiations,12 Adams chose to sign with Kansas City and later informed Missouri State and head basketball coach Cuonzo Martin of his decision. Martin told Adams he would have the opportunity to come back and play basketball if he wished, but it never came to be. Martin eventually left to coach at the University of Tennessee, and Adams was destined for the major leagues.13

First on Adams’s journey to Kauffman were brief stops in rookie ball during 2009 with the Arizona League and for Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League in 2010. Over those two seasons, Adams batted .264 in 70 games. For the 2011 season, Adams began with Burlington in the rookie Appalachian League before moving on to play with Kane County in the Class-A Midwest League. He finished that season with a .261 cumulative batting average in 90 games. In 2012, after hitting .298 with 44 RBIs, 5 home runs, and 11 stolen bases in 67 games with Kane County, Adams was promoted to Wilmington, in the high Class-A Carolina League. He finished the season there with six more home runs and was named a Midwest League All-Star.

In 2013, Adams was being noticed more as a prospect by the Royals’ brass and by Kansas City fans. He was named the Wilmington Blue Rocks player of the year. His .276 batting average, 7 home runs, and 39 RBIs were enough to earn a call-up to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Double-A Texas League. In 44 games with the Naturals, Adams added 5 homers, 26 RBIs, and 15 steals to his tally.14

By season’s end, he was promoted again to Triple-A Omaha during the Pacific Coast League playoffs, where the Storm Chasers won the 2013 Triple-A championship. The 2013 season was Adams’s best as a minor leaguer, and it didn’t go unnoticed. The club named him the co-Minor League Player of the Year, alongside the late Yordano Ventura.15 After the season, the Royals added Adams to their 40-man roster.

Adams began the 2014 campaign with Northwest Arkansas, and slashed .269/.352/.427 with 36 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. His encore performance was strong enough to propel him to a Texas League All-Star selection. When major-league rosters expanded in September, Adams was called up to the Royals. He had been told in July that he might be called up because of his speed.16 On September 1, 2014, Adams made his major-league debut, against the Texas Rangers at Kansas City.

Adams entered the contest in the eighth inning, running at first base for designated hitter Raúl Ibañez. He moved to second on a wild pitch but did not advance further. Kansas City defeated the Rangers, 4-3. The Royals went on to win the American League pennant, but Adams was not on the postseason roster.

By the time 2015 spring training ended and the regular season began, Adams found himself back in the minors with Northwest Arkansas. The season turned out to be one of his strongest minor-league campaigns; he hit .298 with 29 stolen bases. He was not promoted again to Kansas City, though, and after the season he was released.17

Within a few months, Adams was claimed off waivers by the Yankees.18 He spent the early part of the 2016 season with the Trenton Thunder of the Double-A Eastern League. During that stint Adams batted .253 with 31 stolen bases. He was released in late July, and it was at this time that Adams, turning 27 in November, again contemplated leaving the sport, but persevered and found his way to a new opportunity.19

Adams completed the 2016 season with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, as part of the Chicago Cubs organization, compiling a strong .325 average over the remainder of the minor-league campaign. He elected free agency after the season and was determined to find a path back to the majors.20

A month later, Adams signed a minor-league contract with the Atlanta Braves, in what would prove to be a pivotal turning point in his journey back to the majors. His agent’s assistant pitched the idea of going to Atlanta instead of the San Francisco Giants, the other team that Adams was considering.21 Adams acquiesced and only a little under a month into the following season, he was called up to Atlanta from the Gwinnett Braves. It had been over two years since he last appeared in a big-league game with the Royals. On April 28, 2017, Adams got his first big-league base hit, a pinch-hit single to right field off Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Barnes. The next batter, Ender Inciarte, doubled in two runs, Dansby Swanson and Adams. Atlanta went on to win the game, 10-8.

On June 22, Adams recorded his first major-league home run, off San Francisco Giants hurler Bryan Morris. It was a “no-doubter” deep to left field that had a 107 MPH exit velocity according to Statcast.22 When asked about the experience, Adams told MLB.com that the feeling of hitting his first home run was “probably better than [he had] ever thought.” What made the moment even more special was that his nieces were in attendance that day. They had driven from Oklahoma all the way to the Braves’ SunTrust Park to see Adams play in Atlanta. Adams went on to recall the journey back to the big leagues, telling MLB.com, “It’s a grind getting up here, I’m just taking it day by day and trying to make the most of the opportunity the Braves have given me.”23

Toward the end of the season, Adams twice came to bat against the Miami Marlins with the game on the line. On September 10, with the Braves trailing 8-6, Adams came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Nick Markakis on second base. He drew a walk from Marlins pitcher Jarlín García and advanced to second on a single by Johan Camargo. Next, Rio Ruiz singled to left; Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki was unable to make a quick play, allowing Markakis to cross home plate and Adams to score the tying run, sending the game to extra innings.

Two innings later, in the bottom of the 11th, Adams came to bat again for Atlanta with the game still tied. With one out and Tyler Flowers on first base, Adams deposited a first-pitch fastball from Vance Worley into the left-field stands, securing the win for Atlanta and providing what was likely the highlight of his major-league career.

After the game, Adams told MLB.com once again that he valued the opportunity, saying, “It all comes with opportunity and timing, being at the right place at the right time. I was fortunate to be given an opportunity at the right place and the right time.” Flowers echoed the sentiment by complimenting his readiness, “He’s got an upbeat attitude and he’s a tremendous worker. He’s ready [to pinch-hit] the third inning sometimes.”24

To that point in the season, Adams had hit .281 with 3 home runs and an .839 OPS in 74 plate appearances. By season’s end a few weeks later, he finished the season with a final batting average of .275 and an OPS of .807 to go along with 5 home runs. The 2017 season was his most successful to date.

Adams began 2018 with the big-league club after breaking camp, but was designated for assignment on April 18 to create a roster spot for pitcher Matt Wisler. At the time, his skipper was hopeful that Adams would go unclaimed on waivers. “He’s done a really good job,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Hopefully, everything works out [so] that we can keep him. It’s unfortunate, but it’s just one of those moves we had to make.”25

Snitker’s wishes were not met. Adams went unclaimed; he declined an assignment to Triple-A Gwinnett and became a free agent.26 In May 2018 he signed a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs. With the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, he hit .136 in 32 games and was released by the end of June.

After his release by the Cubs, Adams signed another minor-league contract, returning to the Braves organization for the second time in his career. With Gwinnett, Adams struggled offensively and batted .192 in 30 games.

However, Adams was still a part of the September call-ups in late 2018, as the Braves were in the thick of a National League East division race. By season’s end, Adams had compiled a .250 batting average during his final 11 big-league games, including a home run in the fifth inning on September 23 against Philadelphia Phillies Aaron Nola, who was an All-Star that season.

Adams was not brought back to Atlanta at the end of 2018 season and instead signed with the Phillies in January 2019. Through the first three months of the 2019 season, Adams had 271 at-bats and drove in 29 runs with 12 home runs for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Despite the strong performance, he was released on July 1, 2019.

For the rest of 2019, Adams appeared in only 18 more games in the minor leagues, returning once again to the Braves organization and playing all of those 18 games with Double-A Mississippi. He spent the 2020 pandemic-shortened season as a taxi-squad member of the Minnesota Twins, but his appearances with Mississippi were his last in affiliated professional baseball. Adams’s post-pandemic time on the diamond came during 2021 in the Mexican League, where he played for the Acereros de Monclova and the Tigres de Quintana Roo.

After his playing career, one could still find Lane Adams in the baseball conversation on X, where he engaged with fans and other former players on all of the game’s latest topics, including hitting mechanics, player movement, and analytics.27 He also privately coaches and instructs young hitters at his facility in Norman, Oklahoma, focusing on both the mental and physical side of the game.28

For a ballplayer who began his career as a high school basketball star, Adams’s journey through the challenges of professional baseball is an admirable one. He is a player and teammate who the State of Oklahoma and the Choctaw Nation can proudly call one of their own.

Last revised: January 31, 2026

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted numerous websites such as Baseball-Reference.com, baseballalmanac.com, and MiLB.com.

Photo credit: Lane Adams, courtesy of ESPN.

Notes

1 David O’Brien, “5 Things You Might Not Know about Braves Rookie Lane Adams,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 16, 2017. https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/things-you-might-not-know-about-braves-rookie-lane-adams/kdP2fdl6v6vGVWof5krL4M/.

2 Kyle Bandujo, “Lane Adams on Approaching Baseball as a Multi-Sport Athlete,” From Phenom to Farm, June 16, 2020. Accessed November 26, 2024. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lane-adams-on-approaching-baseball-as-a-multi-sport/id1497327828?i=100478222718.

3 Gaurav Vedek, “An Interview with Former Braves Outfielder Lane Adams,” Talking Chop, August 20, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2024. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/battery-power-for-atlanta-braves-fans/id1082214582?i=1000488640090.

4 Jeff Stanek, “Lane Adams – High-Level Experiences from a Former MLB Outfielder,” Figure It Out Baseball. December 13, 2024. Accessed January 24, 2025. https://youtube.com/watch?v=XkJ2PBj-x8Y.

5 “Arizona Fall League Profiles: Lane Adams and Malcom Culver.” MLB Blogs. Royal Rundown, November 7, 2016. https://royals.mlblogs.com/arizona-fall-league-profiles-lane-adams-and-malcom-culver-a1c6748e7680.

6 Adrian O’Hanlon, “Legends: Lane Adams – Red Oak Grad Working Back toward Majors,” McAlester (Oklahoma) News, July 6, 2015. https://www.mcalesternews.com/sports/legends-lane-adams—red-oak-grad-working-back-toward-majors/article_4b0dda74-2399-11e5-ad43-c70143ec0015.html.

7 Bandujo.

8 Stanek.

9 Vedek.

10 Vedek.

11 Bandujo.

12 Bandujo.

13 O’Hanlon.

14 Paul Boyd, “Naturals’ Adams Made Right Choice,” Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Fayetteville, Arkansas), April 3, 2014. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2014/apr/03/naturals-adams-made-right-choice-20140403/.

15 SI Wire, “Yordano Ventura: Royals Pitcher Killed in Car Crash,” Sports Illustrated, January 22, 2017.

https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/01/22/royals-yordano-ventura-dead-car-crash

16 Bandujo.

17 Associated Press, “Tuesday’s Sports Transactions,” San Diego Union-Tribune, November 3, 2015. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-tuesdays-sports-transactions-2015nov03-story.html.

18 Steve Adams, “Yankees Claim Lane Adams from Royals, Designate Ronald Torreyes,” MLB Trade Rumors, January 15, 2016. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/01/yankees-claim-lane-adams-dfa-ronald-torreyes.html.

19 Gabriel Burns, “A Year after Almost Retiring, Lane Adams Finds New Life with Braves,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 26, 2017. https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/year-after-almost-retiring-lane-adams-finds-new-life-with-braves/gd3WGg2JtfWBtXBFgHUTKO/; Stanek, “Lane Adams – High-Level Experiences from a Former MLB Outfielder.”.

20 Bandujo.

21 Bandujo.

22 Mark Bowman, “L. Adams on First MLB HR: ‘A Great Feeling,’” MLB.com, June 23, 2017. https://www.mlb.com/news/braves-lane-adams-hits-first-homer-in-majors-c238224684.

23 Bowman, “L. Adams on First MLB HR: ‘A Great Feeling,’’’

24 Mark Bowman, “L. Adams Goes from No Invite to Walk-Off Hero,” MLB.com, September 10, 2017. https://www.mlb.com/news/braves-lane-adams-hits-walk-off-homer-c253607634.

25 Mark Bowman, “Freeman in Fine Form Night after HBP Scare,” MLB.com, April 19, 2018. https://www.mlb.com/news/braves-freddie-freeman-back-after-clean-mri-c272923376.

26 David O’Brien, “Lane Adams Opts for Free Agency; Acuna Call-Up Clogs Outfield,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 27, 2018. https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/lane-adams-opts-for-free-agency/dih7x19GNP3pMDX7BUVjEL/.

27 Lane Adams, “Situational Hitting. Nobody On Get ’Em In. It’s the Little Things,” Twitter, October 19, 2022. Accessed December 2, 2022. https://twitter.com/LA_Swiftness/status/1587622514364227584.

28 Stanek.