Joan Adon

Adon signed with the Nationals in 2016 and started his professional career with the Dominican Summer League Nationals in 2017.[1] Adon split the 2018 season between the GCL Nationals and the Auburn Doubledays, going a combined 3–1 with a 4.11 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 30+2⁄3 innings.[1] He spent the 2019 season with the Hagerstown Suns, going 11–3 with a 3.86 ERA and 90 strikeouts over 105 innings.[1] In 2020, he was named to Washington's 60-man player pool, working out at the alternate training site in Fredericksburg, Virginia, during the coronavirus-shortened MLB season.[2] After the season, the Nationals selected Adon's contract, adding him to their 40-man roster.[3]

Adon split the 2021 minor league season between the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Harrisburg Senators, and the Rochester Red Wings, going a combined 7–6 with a 4.97 ERA and 122 strikeouts over 105 innings.[4][5][6]

On October 3, 2021, Adon was promoted to the active roster to make his MLB debut versus the Boston Red Sox.[7] He pitched into the sixth inning, striking out nine, while giving up two earned runs: a fourth-inning solo homer by Rafael Devers, then a runner bequeathed to reliever Patrick Murphy who came around to score in the sixth. His nine strikeouts were the most by a pitcher making his MLB debut in the 2021 season.[8]

Adon made the rotation to begin the 2022 season, despite only having made five starts above the High-A level.[9] Adon was the first pitcher to record his 10th loss during the season, which happened on June 7 after a start against the Miami Marlins in which he yielded 8 runs in 3 innings pitched, his worst start of the season.[10] After the game, he was optioned to Triple-A Rochester, as Stephen Strasburg came off the injured list on June 9 to take his place in the rotation. At the time, Adon was 1–10 with a 6.95 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 12 starts, walking 5.66 batters per 9 innings, all league-worst totals among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched.[11] In addition, his whiff rate was the lowest in the major leagues, as batters made contact on 86.6% of their swings.[12] His one win, his first in the major leagues, came in a start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 19, in which he threw 6.1 scoreless innings.[13] Adon was brought back up to the major leagues to start the first game of a double-header against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 17, but after recording his 11th loss, Adon was sent back down to Triple-A the following day.[14]

Adon pitches with a fastball that averaged about 94 miles per hour (151 km/h) in his 2019 campaign with the Class-A Hagerstown Suns, as well as a slider and changeup,[15] although his changeup was used sparingly at the time of his demotion from the big leagues in June 2022.[16]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet