Can he be a major-league regular? Will he?

Ryan Adams almost certainly can be a major-league regular at second base, but he probably won’t be. Adams has been a consistent .290-level hitter with line-drive power in the upper minor leagues, and I expect that he’d hit 35-40 doubles and 8-10 home runs in a full major-league season. In his major-league time, he hit .281 in 96 plate appearances. Unfortunately, he doesn’t walk as often and strikes out more often than most teams would like.

The real problem is that most scouts are convinced that he can’t play second base. They’re wrong. It’s true that Adams doesn’t look spectacular at second base and that it may be a reach for him to be even an average second baseman. But after a full season of watching Adams play (mainly) second base, I am convinced that Adams can at least be an adequate defensive second baseman. He’s reliable and I don’t remember a large number of plays in which I thought “a real second baseman should be able to make that play.” The major leagues aren’t Lake Wobegon; all the second baseman can’t be above average.

The scouts said the same thing about Jeff Keppinger, David Eckstein, Mike Fontenot, and probably others. Keppinger, Eckstein, and Fontenot all proved that they could handle the defensive responsibilities of second base. If you want to argue that Adams’ bat isn’t good enough to make him a net positive, that’s another question. But the notion that Adams is unplayable at second base is absurd.

Is he a good bench player?

He’s a .280-level hitter who can play second, third, and corner outfield. He’d be a great bench player.