Adam Kolarek
Adam John Kolarek (born January 14, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers. He played college baseball for the Maryland Terrapins. Kolarek was drafted by the New York Mets in the 11th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft, and made his MLB debut in 2017. Amateur career. Kolarek was born in Baltimore, Maryland and attended Catonsville High School. He later attended University of Maryland, where he played from 2008 to 2010. In 2008, he was  2–1 with a 4.26 ERA in 21 appearances. In 2009, he was 2–1 with a 4.68 ERA in 26 games and in 2010, he was 1–4 with a 6.06 ERA in 13 games (five starts). Ranked as one of the top 50 lefthanders in the country, Kolarek was drafted by the Mets in the 11th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. Professional career. New York Mets. He pitched for the Kingsport Mets and Brooklyn Cyclones in 2010 and went 2–1 with a 3.13 ERA in 22 games between them. In 37 1/3 innings, he allowed 19 hits and  had 45 strikeouts. Had he qualified, he would have led Kingsport in WHIP with a mark of 0.643. He pitched for the Savannah Sand Gnats and St. Lucie Mets in 2011, going 7–1 with a 2.85 ERA in 26 games. His 1.000 winning percentage for Savannah tied for the team and league lead, In 2012, he went 1–3 with 18 saves, 70 strikeouts and a 2.37 ERA in 44 games (57 innings) for St. Lucie, earning a spot on the Florida State League All-Star team. He also pitched 6 games for the Binghamton Mets and posted a 2–0 record  with a 5.68 ERA. He was a MiLB.com Organization All-Star and a FSL Post-Season All-Star that year. He led St. Lucie in games and games finished that year. He led the entire league in saves. In the Arizona Fall League, he had a 2.92 ERA in nine games for the Surprise Saguaros. In 2013, he was 3–3 with a 1.71 ERA in 44 games for Binghamton. In his first taste of Triple-A, he had an 11.25 ERA in 2 appearances for the Las Vegas 51s as well. He spent some time with the big league club  during 2014 spring training. Back with Binghamton for that year's regular season, his ERA was 6.07 in 48 appearances, though he had a 1.12 mark in six games for the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He began 2015 with Binghamton. Baltimore Orioles. Kolarek signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles on October 23, 2015 and was assigned to the Double-A Bowie Baysox. Tampa Bay Rays. On December 10, 2015, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Kolarek in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft. He split the 2016 season between the  Triple-A Durham Bulls and the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, posting a 3-4 record and 3.13 ERA in 47 appearances between the two teams. On November 7, 2016, he elected free agency. Atlanta Braves. On November 19, 2016, Kolarek signed a minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves organization that included an invitation to Spring Training. He did not make the team out of spring and was released on March 24, 2017. Tampa Bay Rays (second stint). On March 27, 2017, Kolarek signed a minor league contract to return to the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He was assigned to  Triple-A Durham to begin the year. Kolarek was called up to the majors for the first time on June 28, 2017. At 28 years old, Kolarek made his major league debut at PNC Park, throwing 1.1 innings, allowing one hit and striking out one on 14 pitches. On September 3, Kolarek was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay after struggling to a 6.48 ERA across 12 appearances in his rookie year. He was outrighted to Durham the next day. Kolarek did not make the team out of spring in 2018 and was assigned to Triple-A Durham to start  the season. On July 6, 2018, Kolarek was selected to the active roster after posting a 1.70 ERA in 29 games in Durham. In 2018, he made 31 appearances with two saves and a 3.93 ERA. In 2019 with the Rays, he was 4–2 with a 3.95 ERA in 54 games. Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 31, 2019, the Rays traded Kolarek to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor leaguer Niko Hulsizer. He pitched in 26 games for the Dodgers in 2019, with two wins and a stellar 0.77 ERA in 11 innings. In the pandemic-shortened 2020  season, he was 3–0 with one save. He appeared in 20 games and allowed only two runs in 19 innings for an amazing 0.95 ERA. He appeared in four games in the postseason, working innings, allowing three runs as the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series. With the victory, Kolarek earned his first ever World Series championship. Oakland Athletics. On February 12, 2021, Kolarek was traded to the Oakland Athletics (along with Cody Thomas) in return for Sheldon Neuse and Gus Varland. Personal. His father, Frank Kolarek, played in the minor leagues in the 1970s and 1980s. Adam married Melanie  Rae Shapiro on November 11, 2017.