Diamond Award: Massapequa's George Adams has the savvy to use power and finesse
George Adams against Baldwin in AAA quarterfinals: He threw 5 1/3 hitless innings and struck out 15 of the 16 batters he faced. Credit: Dawn McCormick
The combination of power and finesse is a coveted commodity in pitching, especially at the high school level. Massapequa’s George Adams has both and the savvy for when to use them. It’s how the senior lefthander became the top pitcher in Nassau this season.
The Stony Brook commit has the velocity to overpower — a fastball that sits around 90 mph — and the devastating changeup — coming in around 81 mph — to flummox the most confident hitters.
“The delivery was the same on every pitch,” Massapequa coach Tom Sheedy said. “Fastball or changeup, it was the same arm speed and the same arm slot. It’s what you want. The hitter doesn’t know what’s coming.”
Adams was selected for the 2024 Doug Robins Diamond Award for pitchers as the county’s top hurler this season. He received the award at Wednesday night’s Nassau Coaches Association Awards Dinner at the Uniondale Marriott.
George Adams of Massapequa poses for a portrait after winning the Doug Robins Diamond Award for pitchers at the Nassau County Baseball Coaches Dinner held at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. Credit: James Escher
Adams is the third player out of the powerhouse Massapequa program to earn the honor, joining Brad Lyons (1999) and Ryan McCormick (2012).
“We’ve had some unbelievably good pitchers come through Massapequa in my time,” said Chris Cafiero, the Massapequa pitching coach since 2004, “but George is the best lefthander I’ve seen . . . And he doesn’t even know how high his ceiling is.”
In a slate of exceptional performances this season, none exemplified the southpaw’s capabilities like his start against Baldwin in a Nassau Class AAA quarterfinal series. He pitched 5 1/3 innings without allowing a hit and struck out 15 of the 16 batters he faced.
“That game was just one example of George at his best,” Sheedy said. “But every time he was on the mound it was a joy to watch . . . His delivery is technically sound. He’s ultra-competitive. And he’s always in control.”
“If you were looking for the best pitcher in Nassau County,” Sheedy added, “he’s it.”
Adams appeared in nine games and posted a 5-0 record with a 1.01 ERA. In 41 1/3 innings pitched, he walked 16 and struck out 73, holding opposing hitters to a .135 batting average. In three postseason appearances, he allowed one hit in 13 1/3 innings with 27 strikeouts.
“George was at his strongest at the end of the season and that’s a tribute to the offseason work he put in,” Cafiero said. “He felt like last year he was getting tired at the end of the season, that he wasn’t finishing games the way he wanted to. He was strong all the way through this year.”
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.