Biographical

Portrait of Adam Ottavino

Adam Ottavino PRed Sox

Red Sox Player Cards | Red Sox Team Audit | Red Sox Depth Chart

2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 33)
IP ERA WHIP SO W L SV WARP
45.7 3.89 1.29 57 2 1 0 0.6
Birth Date11-22-1985
Height6' 5"
Weight246 lbs
Age38 years, 4 months, 6 days
BatsB
ThrowsR
0.22015
0.22016
-0.62017
1.72018
0.62019
proj
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

Historical (past-seasons) WARP is now based on DRA..
cFIP and DRA are not available on a by-team basis and display as zeroes(0). See TOT line for season totals of these stats.
Multiple stints are are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA- WARP
2010 SLN MLB 5 3 22.3 0 2 0 37 9 12 5 97 14.9 3.6 2.0 4.8 0% .381 2.06 6.14 8.46 125 7.19 162.3 -0.5
2012 COL MLB 53 0 79.0 5 1 0 76 34 81 9 121 8.7 3.9 1.0 9.2 0% .313 1.39 3.89 4.56 104 5.05 115.7 -0.2
2013 COL MLB 51 0 78.3 1 3 0 73 31 78 5 113 8.4 3.6 0.6 9.0 0% .311 1.33 3.12 2.64 96 4.21 100.9 0.4
2014 COL MLB 75 0 65.0 1 4 1 67 16 70 6 124 9.3 2.2 0.8 9.7 0% .347 1.28 3.07 3.60 94 4.59 112.5 -0.1
2015 COL MLB 10 0 10.3 1 0 3 3 2 13 0 113 2.6 1.7 0.0 11.3 0% .158 0.48 1.51 0.00 83 3.41 79.6 0.2
2016 COL MLB 34 0 27.0 1 3 7 18 7 35 3 115 6.0 2.3 1.0 11.7 62% .250 0.93 3.03 2.67 83 4.22 93.5 0.2
2017 COL MLB 63 0 53.3 2 3 0 48 39 63 8 8.1 6.6 1.4 10.6 40% .310 1.63 5.18 5.06 112 6.10 129.8 -0.6
2018 COL MLB 75 0 77.7 6 4 6 41 36 112 5 108 4.8 4.2 0.6 13.0 44% .242 0.99 2.69 2.43 78 3.02 67.4 1.7
2019 NYA MLB 73 0 66.3 6 5 2 47 40 88 5 101 6.4 5.4 0.7 11.9 41% .286 1.31 3.47 1.90 91 3.63 74.4 1.2
CareerMLB4393479.3232519410214552461007.74.00.910.446%.3061.303.553.44964.46101.02.3

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G GS IP W L SV H BB SO HR PPF H/9 BB/9 HR/9 K/9 GB% BABIP WHIP FIP ERA cFIP DRA DRA-
2006 QUD A MDW 8 8 36.1 2 3 0 28 19 38 3 7.0 4.7 0.7 9.5 0% .269 1.30 4.19 3.49 0 0.00 0.0
2006 SCO A- NYP 6 6 28.2 2 2 0 23 13 26 1 7.3 4.1 0.3 8.3 0% .262 1.28 3.41 3.19 0 0.00 0.0
2007 PMB A+ FSL 27 27 143.3 12 8 0 130 63 128 10 96 8.2 4.0 0.6 8.0 0% .292 1.35 3.91 3.08 99 4.38 89.9
2008 SFD AA TXS 24 24 115.3 3 7 0 133 52 96 16 88 10.4 4.1 1.2 7.5 0% .329 1.60 5.08 5.23 106 5.52 113.0
2008 PES Wnt AFL 8 8 23.3 3 1 0 33 10 25 3 12.7 3.9 1.2 9.7 0% .417 1.85 5.59 6.18 0 0.00 0.0
2009 MEM AAA PCL 27 27 144.0 7 12 0 141 82 119 12 81 8.8 5.1 0.8 7.4 0% .308 1.55 4.79 4.75 109 5.53 116.2
2010 SLN MLB NL 5 3 22.3 0 2 0 37 9 12 5 97 14.9 3.6 2.0 4.8 0% .381 2.06 6.14 8.46 125 7.19 162.3
2010 MEM AAA PCL 9 9 47.7 5 3 0 43 12 43 5 93 8.1 2.3 0.9 8.1 0% .286 1.15 4.08 3.96 0 0.00 0.0
2011 MEM AAA PCL 26 25 141.0 7 8 0 154 71 120 14 97 9.8 4.5 0.9 7.7 0% .329 1.60 5.07 4.85 100 5.26 107.4
2012 COL MLB NL 53 0 79.0 5 1 0 76 34 81 9 121 8.7 3.9 1.0 9.2 0% .313 1.39 3.89 4.56 104 5.05 115.7
2012 CSP AAA PCL 13 0 19.7 0 0 0 22 7 25 2 10.1 3.2 0.9 11.4 0% .364 1.47 3.50 3.20 75 3.27 68.1
2013 COL MLB NL 51 0 78.3 1 3 0 73 31 78 5 113 8.4 3.6 0.6 9.0 0% .311 1.33 3.12 2.64 96 4.21 100.9
2014 COL MLB NL 75 0 65.0 1 4 1 67 16 70 6 124 9.3 2.2 0.8 9.7 0% .347 1.28 3.07 3.60 94 4.59 112.5
2015 COL MLB NL 10 0 10.3 1 0 3 3 2 13 0 113 2.6 1.7 0.0 11.3 0% .158 0.48 1.51 0.00 83 3.41 79.6
2016 COL MLB NL 34 0 27.0 1 3 7 18 7 35 3 115 6.0 2.3 1.0 11.7 62% .250 0.93 3.03 2.67 83 4.22 93.5
2016 MOD A+ CAL 4 0 2.7 0 0 1 6 2 6 0 20.3 6.8 0.0 20.3 13% .750 3.00 1.45 6.75 70 5.70 125.8
2016 ABQ AAA PCL 6 0 5.7 0 1 0 2 3 6 1 3.2 4.8 1.6 9.5 42% .091 0.88 5.48 4.76 101 2.70 59.5
2017 COL MLB NL 63 0 53.3 2 3 0 48 39 63 8 8.1 6.6 1.4 10.6 40% .310 1.63 5.18 5.06 112 6.10 129.8
2018 COL MLB NL 75 0 77.7 6 4 6 41 36 112 5 108 4.8 4.2 0.6 13.0 44% .242 0.99 2.69 2.43 78 3.02 67.4
2019 NYA MLB AL 73 0 66.3 6 5 2 47 40 88 5 101 6.4 5.4 0.7 11.9 41% .286 1.31 3.47 1.90 91 3.63 74.4

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr%
2010 415 0.5181 0.4434 0.8641 0.6279 0.2450 0.9407 0.6531 0.1359
2012 1321 0.5291 0.4618 0.7230 0.5994 0.3071 0.8449 0.4555 0.2770
2013 1263 0.4964 0.4489 0.7108 0.5774 0.3223 0.8398 0.4829 0.2892
2014 1065 0.5155 0.4545 0.7273 0.5865 0.3140 0.8199 0.5432 0.2727
2015 142 0.4577 0.4155 0.6780 0.4769 0.3636 0.8065 0.5357 0.3220
2016 460 0.4587 0.4239 0.6974 0.5498 0.3173 0.7931 0.5570 0.3026
2017 1054 0.4763 0.3482 0.7166 0.4841 0.2246 0.8807 0.3952 0.2834
2018 1271 0.4996 0.3910 0.6680 0.5402 0.2421 0.7784 0.4221 0.3320
2019 1138 0.5009 0.3866 0.6955 0.5439 0.2289 0.7710 0.5154 0.3045
Career81290.50100.41860.71340.55880.27700.82600.48380.2866

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2012-03-13 2012-03-14 Camp 1 0 Right Lower Leg Contusion Calf Batted Ball - -
2010-07-04 2010-09-28 60-DL 86 75 Right Shoulder Cartilage Injury SLAP Labrum Tear -
2008-04-25 2008-05-10 Minors 15 0 Right Shoulder Inflammation -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2024 NYN $4,500,000
2023 NYN $7,750,000
2022 NYN $4,000,000
2021 NYA $9,000,000
2020 NYA $8,849,692
2019 NYA $9,000,000
2018 COL $7,000,000
2017 COL $2,100,000
2016 COL $1,300,000
2015 COL $1,300,000
2014 COL $502,000
2013 COL $491,000
2012 COL $
YearsDescriptionSalary
11 yrPrevious$51,292,692
2019Current$4,500,000
12 yrPvs + Cur$55,792,692
12 yrTotal$55,792,692

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
12 y 87 dAll Bases Covered1 year/$4.5M (2024)

Details
  • 1 year/$4.5M (2024). Re-signed by NY Mets as a free agent 1/27/24. $500,000 signing bonus. 24:$4M.
  • 2 years/$14.5M (2023-24). Re-signed by NY Mets as a free agent 12/20/22. 23:$7.75M, 24:$6.75M player option (no buyout). Ottavino to defer $4M of 2023 salary, to be paid $500,000 each January 15, 2025-30 and $1M on January 15, 2031. Ottavino to defer $4M of 2024 salary, to be paid $1M each January 15, 2032-35. Annual performance bonuses: $250,000 each for 30, 40, 50, 60 innings pitched. Perk: hotel suite on road. Ottavino exercised right to opt out of contract 11/6/23.
  • 1 year/$4M (2022). Signed by NY Mets as a free agent 3/13/22. Performance bonuses: $100,000 for 30 innings pitched. $125,000 each for 35, 40 IP. $150,000 each for 45, 50 IP. $175,000 each 55, 60 IP.
  • 3 years/$27M (2019-21). Signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 1/24/19. $3M signing bonus, to be paid 1/1/22. 19:$8M, 20:$8M, 21:$8M. Acquired by Boston in trade from NY Yankees 1/25/21.
  • 3 years/$10.4M (2016-18). Signed extension with Colorado 12/17/15 (avoided arbitration). 16:$1.3M, 17:$2.1M, 18:$7M.
  • 1 year/$1.3M (2015). Re-signed by Colorado 1/26/15 (avoided arbitration).
  • 1 year/$502,000 (2014). Re-signed by Colorado 3/9/14.
  • 1 year/$491,000 (2013). Re-signed by Colorado 3/6/13.
  • 1 year (2012). Contract purchased by St. Louis 11/18/11. Claimed by Colorado off waivers from St. Louis 4/3/12.
  • 1 year (2011). Re-signed by St. Louis 3/11.
  • 1 year (2010). Re-signed by St. Louis 3/4/10. Sent outright to Triple-A by St. Louis 11/17/10.
  • 2009. Contract purchased by St. Louis 11/18/09.
  • Drafted 2006 (1-30) (Northeastern). Signed 6/06, $950,000 signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR BABIP WHIP ERA DRA VORP WARP
90o 0 0 0 0 0 14.8 9 6 18 1 .242 1.03 2.53 2.67 0.0 0.0
80o 0 0 0 0 0 9.6 7 4 12 1 .258 1.12 2.91 3.08 0.0 0.0
70o 0 0 0 0 0 6.0 4 3 7 1 .269 1.19 3.19 3.39 0.0 0.0
60o 0 0 0 0 0 3.0 2 1 4 0 .278 1.25 3.43 3.65 0.0 0.0
50o 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0 0 0 0 .287 1.30 3.66 3.9 0.0 0.0
Weighted Mean?????0.0?00?.0000.000.00?0.00.0

Preseason Long-Term Forecast (Beyond the 2019 Projections)

Playing time estimates are based on performance, not Depth Charts.
Year Age W L SV G GS IP H BB SO HR GB% BABIP WHIP ERA DRA H/9 BB/9 K/9 HR/9 WARP
20203431053057462967745.2811.324.484.467.34.610.61.10.4
20213521045048392456645.2821.314.474.457.34.510.51.10.3
20223621039042352250545.2921.374.524.507.64.810.81.10.3
20233721041043362251545.2921.354.424.407.54.610.71.00.3
20243821040043362250645.2891.364.584.567.64.610.51.30.2
20253921040042362249545.2911.374.564.547.74.710.41.10.2
20264021041043372250645.2901.374.584.567.74.610.51.30.2
20274121039042362248645.2931.394.654.637.84.810.41.30.2
20284221036038332044545.2921.394.684.667.84.710.41.20.2

Comparable Players (Similarity Index 71)

Rank Score Name Year Run Average Trend
1 87 Pedro Strop 2018 2.26
2 83 Damaso Marte 2008 4.02
3 82 Brian Fuentes 2009 3.93
4 81 Jonathan Papelbon 2014 2.04
5 81 J.J. Putz 2010 3.00
6 80 David Robertson 2018 4.00
7 79 Fernando Rodney 2010 4.37
8 79 Tyler Clippard 2018 3.80
9 78 Darren O'Day 2016 3.77
10 78 Brendan Donnelly 2005 4.13
11 77 Scot Shields 2009 7.13
12 77 Eric Plunk 1997 5.07
13 77 Michael Gonzalez 2011 5.23
14 76 Jose Valverde 2011 2.61
15 76 Jerry Blevins 2017 2.94
16 76 Rich Gossage 1985 2.39
17 76 Jason Frasor 2011 3.90
18 75 Jose Veras 2014 4.89
19 75 B.J. Ryan 2009 6.53
20 75 John Hiller 1976 2.75
21 75 Rafael Soriano 2013 3.24
22 75 John Axford 2016 4.25
23 75 George Sherrill 2010 7.43
24 75 Pedro Feliciano 2010 3.45
25 74 Paul Shuey 2004 0.00 DNP
26 74 Boone Logan 2018 5.91
27 74 Joaquin Benoit 2011 3.39
28 74 Francisco Cordero 2008 3.58
29 73 Roberto Hernandez 1998 4.16
30 73 Luke Gregerson 2017 4.72
31 73 Mike Dunn 2018 9.00
32 73 Matt Thornton 2010 2.67
33 72 Jeremy Affeldt 2012 3.27
34 72 Brian Wilson 2015 0.00 DNP
35 72 Heath Bell 2011 2.87
36 72 J.P. Howell 2016 4.09
37 71 Kiko Calero 2008 3.86
38 71 Joe Page 1951 0.00 DNP
39 71 Blake Parker 2018 3.26
40 71 Jonathan Broxton 2017 6.89
41 71 Troy Percival 2003 4.01
42 71 Tippy Martinez 1983 2.61
43 70 Eric Gagne 2009 0.00 DNP
44 70 Lee Smith 1991 2.34
45 70 Hideki Okajima 2009 3.39
46 70 Kevin Gregg 2011 5.28
47 70 Jim Kern 1982 3.72
48 70 Norm Charlton 1996 4.52
49 70 Grant Balfour 2011 2.47
50 70 Will Harris 2018 3.49
51 70 Joakim Soria 2017 3.86
52 69 Arthur Rhodes 2003 4.17
53 69 Joe Thatcher 2015 3.18
54 69 Billy Wagner 2005 1.97
55 69 Sergio Romo 2016 2.64
56 69 Jay Howell 1989 1.69
57 69 Fernando Rodriguez 2017 0.00 DNP
58 69 Jeff Nelson 2000 3.23
59 68 Mike Jackson 1998 1.55
60 68 Bruce Ruffin 1997 6.14
61 68 Robb Nen 2003 0.00 DNP
62 68 Jeff Montgomery 1995 3.84
63 68 Mike Adams 2012 3.61
64 67 Casey Janssen 2015 4.95
65 67 Michael Wuertz 2012 0.00 DNP
66 67 Kerry Wood 2010 3.33
67 67 Hoyt Wilhelm 1956 4.50
68 67 Jay Witasick 2006 6.75
69 67 Tom Wilhelmsen 2017 4.44
70 67 Peter Moylan 2012 5.40
71 67 Octavio Dotel 2007 4.70
72 67 Tony Watson 2018 2.59
73 67 Matt Miller 2005 1.82
74 66 Andrew Miller 2018 4.50
75 66 Armando Benitez 2006 3.52
76 66 Akinori Otsuka 2005 4.02
77 66 Rafael Betancourt 2008 5.32
78 66 Craig Stammen 2017 3.36
79 66 Dennys Reyes 2010 3.55
80 65 Manny Parra 2016 0.00 DNP
81 65 Joe Nathan 2008 1.73
82 65 Mike Marshall 1976 4.35
83 65 Brad Lidge 2010 3.15
84 65 Skip Lockwood 1980 6.11
85 65 Ricardo Rincon 2003 3.42
86 65 Nolan Ryan 1980 3.85
87 65 Bob Wickman 2002 5.77
88 64 Joe Borowski 2004 8.02
89 64 Jesse Orosco 1990 4.87
90 64 Ryan Dempster 2010 4.60
91 64 Glen Perkins 2016 9.00
92 64 Nick Masset 2015 5.40
93 64 Carlos Marmol 2016 0.00 DNP
94 64 Todd Jones 2001 5.16
95 64 Trevor Hoffman 2001 3.73
96 64 Santiago Casilla 2014 2.01
97 64 Huston Street 2017 0.00
98 63 J.C. Romero 2009 3.24
99 63 David Hernandez 2018 2.81
100 63 Tony Barnette 2017 5.65

BP Annual Player Comments

YearComment
2019  Due to publishing agreements, the 2019 player comments and team essays are only available in the Baseball Prospectus 2019 book (available in hardcopy, and soon e-book and Kindle).
2018 Only two relievers threw at least 50 innings and walked more than 16 percent of the batters they faced in 2017: Dellin Betances and Ottavino. In his first full season back from Tommy John surgery, Ottavino took the concept of high-strikeout, high-walk reliever to its logical extreme. Only 53 percent of the batters Ottavino faced didn’t strike out, walk, homer or reach via hit-by-pitch. That’s how a guy with Ottavino’s stuff ends up with a DRA flirting with 5.00. Ottavino’s fastball is down about a mile-per-hour or so since his pre-surgery days, but he still chucks in the mid-90s. Velocity isn’t the issue here, command is, and that means Ottavino has the ceiling of an elite closer and the floor of a guy who’s back in Albuquerque by June.
2017 Between September 7, 2014 and August 24, 2016, Ottavino struck out 34 batters and walked five in 31 innings of work without allowing a run. The Tommy John surgery he had in 2015 accounts for the limited work. After the scoreless run ended, he gave up nine runs in his next 10 2/3 innings, with five coming in a single disastrous outing. That said, he also struck out 18 batters and walked just four in that rough patch. Ottavino didn’t seem to be hampered at all upon his return to baseball, but further distance from surgery will be welcome. That’s just one reason to believe he’ll be an elite late-inning reliever in 2017.
2016 Ottavino endeared himself to statheads everywhere when he went on MLB Now with Brian Kenny last offseason and revealed that he had elevated his fastball more in the second half of 2014 after reading a FanGraphs post that detailed Sean Doolittle's success with the tactic. Namedropping Brooks Baseball and PITCHf/x in subsequent interviews solidified him in a tier just behind Zack Greinke, Brandon McCarthy and Trevor Bauer among the internet's favorite sabermetrics-inclined pitchers. Unfortunately, Ottavino's elbow blew out after a dominant April, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery—and becoming, in a sense, just another statistic.
2015 Last year, Ottavino recorded his third straight season in Colorado with an ERA+ over 100. With his role shifting to set-up man, he no longer pitched multiple innings: After 24 games getting six outs or more in 2013, only one such game occured in 2014. As a result, Ottavino faced his kryptonite, lefties, less frequently. Just 30 percent of his batters hit left-handed, softening the effect of their .297 True Average against. Against righties, the story with Ottavino hasn't changed: slider, slider, slider. He threw his two-plane weapon 60 percent of the time—whether he was starting off or finishing off a batter, it didn't matter. With fellow comrades Matt Belisle and Rex Brothers tailing off, Ottavino became the Rockies' most reliable reliever under the age of 40.
2014 There's a reason guys like Ottavino don't exist much these days: As soon as they show they're as good as Ottavino is, they get bumped into a non-Ottavino role. For the second year, the Rockies leaned on him as a multiple-inning reliever who didn't stink, and for the second year he thrived. He recorded more than three outs 29 times, fewer than only the Diamondbacks' Josh Collmenter and the Twins' Anthony Swarzak, each of whom was used far more often when the game was already settled. The Rockies finally caved in August and moved him into a traditional set-up role. He was more interesting before but he's more valuable now, and he'll continue to be a nice weapon in any role.
2013 Ottavino is a converted starter who saw his strikeout rate soar in his new role. The Cardinals' first-round pick in 2006 was used primarily in low-leverage situations after being claimed on waivers by the Rockies in April. He had no trouble with Coors Field and, except for a three-game stretch in mid-September that caused his ERA to jump more than a full run, pitched well in the second half. Shoulder issues and inconsistent off-speed stuff have held him back in the past, but he had good health for a second straight year, and changing speeds is less of a concern out of the bullpen. If his arm continues to hold up, he could have a nice career as a reliever.
2011 The hits just keep on coming for Ottavino, unfortunately. The former first-rounder suffered through his third difficult season in a row, bouncing back and forth between promising outings in Memphis and disastrous ones in St. Louis before missing the last half of the season with a strained shoulder. The injury didn’t require surgery and Ottavino should be ready for spring training, but the club took him off the 40-man roster. He still has stuff that can miss bats, with a low-90s fastball, a slider, and a changeup, and he made some progress toward reducing his disturbing walk rate, but his future likely involves warming up during games rather than before them.
2010 One of the few upper-level starting prospects in the system who throws hard, Ottavino's still looking for reliable off-speed stuff. The lack of it contributes to his getting hammered the second time through an order, as well as to the disappointment that the club's first-round pick from '06 (30th overall) hasn't done much since A-ball. He was added to the 40-man because not doing so would expose him to the Rule 5 draft, but he's going to need to regroup and show something to avoid being converted to relief work.
2009 Arguably the organization's best starting pitcher prospect entering the season, Adam Ottavino failed to keep the line moving at Springfield. He's a big righty (6'5", 215) with one of the best heaters in the system, but needs work on his slider and changeup.
2008 Norrick's teammate Adam Ottavino didn't pitch as well, but rates more highly because of his low-90s fastball and good slider
2007 The team`s first-round pick last June, Adam Ottavino is a power righty who was able to succeed in a full-season league during his pro debut.

BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2014-03-12 14:00:00 (link to chat)Have a favorite pick you've made in the reliever draft thus far? Didn't make it into your league so can't see your roster.
(Alex from Milwaukee)
My league is in the middle of the 13th round. My 12 picks so far:

Craig Kimbrel
Grant Balfour
Junichi Tazawa
Kevin Siegrist
Craig Stammen
Will Smith
Carlos Martinez
Adam Ottavino
Wade Davis
Manny Parra
Heath Hembree
Santiago Casilla

(For anyone who doesn't know what we're talking about, Sam is running a reliever-only fantasy league with Effectively Wild listeners. Only categories are runs allowed and strikeouts, and only relief innings count.) (Ben Lindbergh)


BP Roundtables

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PITCHf/x Pitcher Profile

A Collaboration between BrooksBaseball.net and Baseball Prospectus - Pitch classifications provided by Pitch Info LLC


Although he has not thrown an MLB pitch in 2023, Adam Ottavino threw 12,404 pitches that were tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2010 and 2024, all of them occuring in Spring Training. In 2024, he relied primarily on his Sinker (92mph) and Slider (79mph), also mixing in a Change (87mph) and Fourseam Fastball (92mph). He also rarely threw a Cutter (85mph).