Feature Friday: Kolarek Living Out Big League Dream

Adam Kolarek is having his best season of baseball ever. Fitting then, that it comes during a season in which he’s pitching for the best team in baseball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers – who had the best regular-season record in baseball – have made the postseason in eight consecutive years, and have now advanced to the NLCS five times since 2013 following their sweep of the San Diego Padres in the NLDS.

Kolarek, meanwhile, has become a key cog in the Dodgers versatile bullpen. The southpaw reliever’s team-leading 0.95 ERA during the regular season is eye-catching – and honestly somewhat impressive for an 11th-round pick out of College Park.

“He’s been really good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said upon Kolarek’s arrival in Los Angeles. “He throws strikes. He keeps the left-hander on the ground and there’s some punch in there. He’s resilient, and whenever we’ve needed him, he’s answered the bell.”

Kolarek’s name gained traction this time last year, when his Dodgers were in the midst of a postseason series with the eventual World Series Champion Washington Nationals. Used primarily as a lefty matchup arm when he joined the Los Angeles organization, Kolarek made three appearances, in three games, to face three batters. That batter was major league sweetheart and Dominican superstar Juan Soto. And to the surprise of everyone but Terp faithful, Kolarek held Soto hitless in all three plate appearances.

When Major League Baseball instituted the three-batter minimum for the 2020 season, Kolarek’s role as a matchup specialist had to be rethought. Though his role as a lefty specialist was still possible in some instances – MLB’s new rule mandated pitchers to face a minimum of three batters unless they finish an inning – Kolarek faced nearly as many right-handed batters in 2020 as lefties, and still cruised his way through the season. In 20 appearances, Kolarek held opponents to just two runs, 11 hits, and a .164 batting average against.

Now deep in the MLB postseason once again, Kolarek has the chance to do what only five Terps have ever done – play in the World Series. The Dodgers, embroiled in a competitive series with the Braves for a berth in the Fall Classic, could bolster Kolarek’s case to be one of the most accomplished to ever play baseball at Maryland. He would also have a chance to face off against Brandon Lowe, fellow Terp and former teammate with the Tampa Bay Rays.

“It has been a ton of fun to watch former Terps during the postseason,” said head coach Rob Vaughn, who leads one of just five programs in the nation to have multiple players still active in the MLB postseason. “I grew up as an Astros fan and it’s weird that my postseason alliances are with the Dodgers and Rays. I would love to see those to match up in the World Series and see Kolarek come in and face Lowe. I didn’t get to coach Adam, but getting to know him and his dad over the years, he’s the easiest guy in the world to pull for.”

Though his tenure with the Rays is over, much of Kolarek’s MLB success can be attributed to the Tampa Bay organization. Kolarek’s rise to The Show wasn’t quite traditional – but when you make it to the upper echelon of America’s pastime, it shouldn’t matter how you got there.

After being drafted out of Maryland in 2010 by the New York Mets, Kolarek bounced around in the New York organization for five years, primarily at Double-A Binghamton. After stagnating there – primarily due to arrival of Mets’ top prospects Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, and Matt Harvey – Kolarek tested the waters with the Orioles and Braves on minor-league deals before sticking with the Rays, where he threw primarily for Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham.

“It was tough climbing that ladder,” Adam’s father, Frank Kolarek said. “When he was drafted out of Maryland, he was pitching with guys in that Mets stable. They had a lot of good pitching. But Adam was excited to put the uniform on every day and work to get better, and that’s why he’s been able to have success.”

Kolarek’s long awaited call to The Show came on June 28, 2017, as the Rays promoted him to the major league club from Durham. The day after, Kolarek made his major league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where the minor-league veteran tossed an inning and a third of shutout ball, earning his first MLB strikeout in the debut. He became just the 24th Terrapin to earn the call. Moving forward through the rest of the 2017 season and into the 2018 campaign, Kolarek bounced between Tampa Bay and Durham, where he settled into a comfortable role and began to outperform expectations.

“I’m a huge believer that the game will pay you back,” said Vaughn. “What really connected Adam and I was his League of Dreams foundation that him and his dad are heavily involved with. Watching Adam interact with young boys and girls that don’t have the opportunity to do what he does and watching him pour his heart into it is incredible. Although I didn’t coach him, I became a massive fan of Adam Kolarek quickly and he is such a phenomenal representation of being a man of character and leadership. He grinded for years to get where he is now and I’m incredibly proud that his name is tied to the Maryland Baseball family.”

In 2019, the Rays gave Kolarek a bigger role than he’d ever had with the major league club. He made 54 appearances, tossed 43 1/3 innings, and notched 36 strikeouts – nearly double his prior total in the big leagues. When he got traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2019, Kolarek immediately made a name for himself in the bullpen as a lefty specialist and put up staggering numbers to the tune of a 0.77 ERA through 26 appearances. He allowed one earned run after the trade. It didn’t hurt, of course, that he’d been traded to one of the most storied franchises in baseball history, that also happened to be a perennial title contender. Not bad, for a kid from Catonsville.

Kolarek’s 2020 campaign – though affected by the COVID-19 pandemic like so many others – was more of the same for the left-handed reliever who has found his home in a major league bullpen. The stats were just as impressive. Kolarek appeared in 20 games, precisely one-third of the shortened 60-game schedule, and tossed 19 innings with a 0.95 earned run average. Now, Kolarek is doing it on one of the biggest stages in professional baseball.

“I still look back at my Maryland career with great pride,” Kolarek said. “Being at this level was obviously my goal and I had to progress a lot as far as my pitching ability. But before I got here, I remember getting those letters that Maryland would send to show their interest, and it was so exciting to get. And then to work my way through the minors and reach this point … it still hasn’t sunk in. Years from now, when I take a look back at my career and remember where I came from, I’ll never forget my time at Maryland.”

Though Kolarek’s relatively newfound success on the major league level has brought him to new heights, he’s always been a humble guy with Maryland roots. His Terrapin tenure spanned from 2008 to 2010, where he tossed a career 111 innings to a 5.03 ERA. He also saw action in the outfield and at first base and smacked a few home runs with the Terps. He’s stayed connected to the Maryland baseball program throughout his career as a pro, supported the program at various events, and hosted a League of Dreams “field day” with his father, Frank.

“There’s always been this excitement around Maryland,” Kolarek said. “Getting to go down to Maryland Stadium and tailgate before the football games as a kid, being a fan of the basketball team...it’s all so surreal now. That’s something that – when you grow up as a kid and have a chance to represent the university – it meant the world to me. And now, watching all the success of the baseball team, watching what Brandon Lowe and LaMonte Wade have done at the big league level, it’s really special to be a part of that.”

Adam’s father, Frank, had a very similar career trajectory of his own. A Baltimore native, Frank also started his college baseball career at Maryland. From 1974-75, Frank was a catcher for the Terrapins. He went on to play in the A’s minor league organization, but never made it to the major league level like his son. Today, Frank’s relationship with Maryland means just as much to him as Adam’s.

“I remember going back for alumni games,” Frank Kolarek said. “Adam went with me to the alumni games as a little kid. He used to love going down and being with all my buddies at Shipley Field at the time. It’s always been a part of our life. So for me to see him achieve that level to go to Maryland, watch what he did at Maryland, and now at the next level, it’s beyond special.”

Kolarek, now a father of his own, looks to take after his dad and continue to share their love of the game while staying connected to their roots.

“It’s been great to follow the program,” Kolarek said. “Getting to know the coaches there now, they’ve been awesome, and have everything headed in the right direction. For so long it was trying to build up the program, but I think now, it’s already established. It’s expected for them to win now, and that’s really exciting.”

Los Angeles Dodger photos courtesy of the LA Dodgers.