Tim Adleman has taken long road to Reds

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Sometimes the question isn’t what Plan B may be, but when to implement it.

Knowing the path to the big leagues is uncertain for anyone, but especially a 24th-round pick. Tim Adleman planned for life after baseball by earning his degree in healthcare management from Georgetown.

After being released by the Orioles in 2012, Adleman wasn’t ready to give up on Plan A. Instead of moving on, Adleman tried out for the independent Florence Freedom. Even though the Freedom passed on him, he still kept going. Today, he’s in Reds camp trying to earn a spot in the clubhouse 14 miles north of the Freedom’s home ballpark.

“I think it’s a matter of still loving to play the game and still feeling like despite some organizations telling me I’m not good enough, having the confidence in myself that I am good enough,” Adleman said. “I just need someone to give me the opportunity. That factored with a lot of people saying, if you still feel you can play, give it your best shot for as long as you can, because once you shut it down, you can never get it back.”

When the Freedom didn’t sign Adleman, manager Fran Riordan recommended Adleman to the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Baseball. He pitched five games there before he was traded to the El Paso Diablos to finish the season.

The next season he asked El Paso to trade him closer to home, and they obliged, sending him to the New Jersey Jackals of the Can-Am League. With New Jersey, Adleman put up a 1.46 ERA in 40 appearances with 62 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings, gaining the attention of the Reds, who signed him following that season.

Adleman has predominantly pitched in Double-A Pensacola the last two seasons, putting up a 2.85 ERA in 30 appearances and six starts in 2014 and then being moved into the rotation last year where he went 9-10 with a 2.64 ERA in 27 games and 26 starts. He was third in the Southern League in ERA, eighth in wins and third in WHIP (1.22).

That performance earned him the big-league invite to spring training with the Reds. Adleman pitched a scoreless inning in his first outing on Friday before giving up three runs on five hits in Monday’s game against the Angels.

“This is a great opportunity to come in and plant some seeds in camp, and if he doesn’t make the club, get us excited about the possibility of him helping us throughout the year,” Reds manager Bryan Price said of Adleman.

While this is the 28-year-old’s best chance to impress at this level, it’s not his first. Drafted by the Orioles in 2010, he was an All-Star in the New York-Penn League that year, going 3-4 with a 3.44 ERA in 13 starts.

The Orioles switched him to the bullpen the next year, and he struggled with the transition.

“He said one of the things that really got into his head was controlling the running game when he was in pro ball, and they really got into his head that he had to be quicker to the plate and it very much affected his delivery,” Price said. “He simplified things. He’s got that type of fastball, and it’s a good fastball, up to 94, but he’s got that type of fastball with that deception and late life that makes it a little more valuable than just the velocity would suggest. He’s also a ground ball pitcher and keeps the ball down in the zone.”

He also saw an increase in his velocity, from 88 to 90 mph when he was in independent ball to throwing 94 mph in his stint against the Giants.

Adleman trained with weighted baseballs in the offseason to help his arm strength, helping increase his velocity. It’s during those offseasons that he’s had time to think about what he was doing, working odd jobs at a baseball academy and an independent grocery store to make ends meet while plenty of friends have given up on their dreams of the big leagues.

Thoughts of turning to Plan B still pop up from time to time, Adleman said, but he’s been encouraged by friends and family. He’s talked to friends and former teammates who have moved on, and they admire him for sticking it out.

“I’d like to think it’s one of those things that when you know, you know, either by way of someone not giving you an opportunity again or you just not wanting to play the game,” Adleman said. “But it’s definitely something I’ve thought of, but as I’ve said before, if I still enjoy the game and believe I can play at a high level, then I’ll probably continue to give it a shot.”

Being in big league camp with the Reds is as big of a chance as Adleman’s had — a far cry from the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and long bus rides of the independent leagues.

“It’s a tremendous feeling, as big of a step in the right direction as I’ve made in my entire career,” Adleman said. “But as far as playing in the big leagues, there’s obviously still a ways to go. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and happy to be here, but now’s the time to make the most of it.”