Staten Island Yankees Dub Former Bronx Bomber David Adams as Skipper

By Jerry Del Priore 

The Staten Island Yankees of the New York Penn League (NYPL) announced yesterday that David Adams has been named manager of the team for the 2019 season. 

“I am truly honored and grateful for being chosen to manage the 2019 Staten Island Yankees alongside a knowledgeable and caring staff, both in the front office and on the field,” David Adams, 31, said in a press release. “I was fortunate enough to play under (General Manager) Jane Rogers my first year of pro ball and (President) Will Smith in Trenton only a few years later, and cannot wait to continue to learn and grow under their leadership.”

Adams joins Staten Island after making his managerial debut with the Gulf Coast League Yankees West in 2018. In 2017, he began his professional coaching career as the defensive coach with the Gulf Coast League Yankees East.

New York chose Adams in the third round of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The infielder made his major league debut on May 15, 2013, becoming the first Yankee to debut on his birthday. He appeared in 43 Major League games for the Bronx Bombers in 2013.

Adams made his professional baseball debut in 2008 with Staten Island, where he played 67 games at second base and hit four home runs with 31 RBI.

He spent a total of nine baseball campaigns in the minor leagues, playing 2008-13 with the Yankees, 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles, 2015 with the Florida Marlins, and 2016 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He batted .282 with 45 home runs, 341 RBI, and 347 runs scored across 701 games played.

Adams attended the University of Virginia, in which Baseball America named him to the Freshman All-American second team and became a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American that same season. 

Prior to his collegiate career, Adams, a native of Margate, Florida, attended and played at Grandview Preparatory School in Boca Raton, Florida, coached by his father, Dale.