Infielder Russ Adams has decided to retire, reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Adams has played the last two seasons for the Mets' Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, beginning this season hitting just .180/.296/.246 in 72 plate appearances.
Adams was Toronto's first-round pick (14th overall) in the 2002 amateur draft, J.P. Ricciardi's first as the Blue Jays' GM. Originally drafted as a shortstop, Adams was moved to second and then third base in the majors, but the bigger issue was his bat. In 993 Major League plate appearances, all with the Jays, Adams managed just a .247/.313/.372 line. Adams' struggles were magnified by the success of Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher and Cole Hamels — the three players taken directly after him in the draft, a fact that Ricciardi was criticized about for the rest of his Jays tenure.