GLENDALE, Ariz. — Adam Stone stood on the mound on Oct. 9 for the Mesa Solar Sox and noticed he was shaking. After years of rehab and throwing live batting practice sessions on back fields with no one around, the right-handed Yankees prospect was on an Arizona Fall League mound for his first in-game action in more than two years.
There were fans in the stands. Adrenaline was pumping. The usual sights and sounds of the ballpark echoed in Stone’s ears. There was a hitter standing in the batter’s box. And most importantly, the ball was in his hand and he was fully confident that after he wound up and released, he’d have no pain.
Stone’s return in the Fall League dates back to a one-two punch of a right shoulder strain and a second Tommy John surgery after making his pro debut with Single-A Tampa in 2023. The injuries forced him to miss two full seasons of game action.
“I couldn’t catch a break for the first couple of years,” said Stone. “It’s tough. It’s a hard process when all of your buddies get there in Spring Training and they leave and you gotta stick around. It’s a grind, especially when I hadn’t played in two years.
“The adversity that you face through rehab is more challenging than any adversity you’re going to face on the mound. … It’s difficult going through the same thing everyday, it’s a little monotonous. I think it’s made me a little battle-tested and I’m better for it now.”
The act of just getting on the mound eluded Stone for a while. After starring at Fairfield College Prep in Fairfield, Conn., the 6-foot-6 hurler followed in older brother Kevin’s footsteps and enrolled at Harvard prior to the 2020 season, taking on the rigors of not just the academic workload but all that comes with playing Ivy League baseball: pitching in the snow, working on papers while traveling to road games and balancing time to fit it all in.
Stone didn’t pitch during his freshman year following a torn UCL sustained prior to his senior high school campaign., and then the Ivy League chose not to play during the 2021 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His college career consisted of just 32 innings, all thrown during the ‘22 season, leaving Major League clubs with limited intel as to what Stone could bring to the table. But away from the Crimson, Stone made three relief appearances on the summer wood-bat circuit of the Appy League, giving him some added exposure.
In July 2021, Stone was added to the USA Collegiate National Team roster that featured names like Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Brooks Lee and a handful of others who have gone on to become big leaguers.
While those first three names were selected within the top eight picks of the 2022 and ‘23 Drafts, Stone went unselected across 20 rounds. But three days after the Draft concluded, he officially joined the Yankees as an undrafted free agent.
“I had always thought that I was talented, but I didn’t know how I stacked up against the rest of the competition, so it was good to play with those guys and be able to hang with them,” said Stone of his time with Team USA. “[The Fall League] is another similar experience where there are a lot of talented guys that have been playing Minor League Baseball for a couple of years and I haven’t had as much experience, but it’s nice to know that I stack up well against these guys. It’s also good to just learn from these dudes and hear from them and their experiences because I’ll be going through things in my first full Minor League season that I haven’t experienced yet. It’ll be good to learn from those guys and just take that advice with me.”
The learning hasn’t stopped, on the field or off. After getting his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Harvard in 2024, and with some time on his hands as he rehabbed, Stone enrolled at Indiana University in pursuit of his MBA. But finding out who he is as a pitcher has been Stone’s primary assignment in the Fall League, something he’s had to go back to the chalkboard to find out.
At Harvard, his heater had some natural cut to it; now, he’s worked to differentiate between a true cutter and four-seamer, the latter of which has topped out at 97 mph for Mesa. The right-hander also has a slider and a changeup in his revamped arsenal, although whether he’s ticketed for the rotation or bullpen — a decision not too far off the horizon — will likely determine the extent to which he’ll tinker with secondaries.
While the Fall League is casting Stone and hurlers like him a life raft for much-needed innings before the offseason, it also offers the chance to be enmeshed in a community. The 24-year-old has been a staple of local Play Ball events, putting smiles on kids’ faces while also teaching them the game in a relaxed atmosphere. It’s just the latest way he’s giving back after serving as a volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club in Stamford, Conn., while growing up.
Stone, like all pitchers, would love positive results and radar gun readings. But his journey back to the game he loves has also helped him find purpose beyond what happens between the white lines.
“I think baseball players are blessed every single day to come out and get to play a kids’ game, so I think it’s important to give back to the community and show these kids that if you work really hard, there’s a possibility that you could end up in the same situation,” said Stone. “But I think it’s something that helps me stay humble and also helps me on the field because life isn’t just about baseball. I think it’s an important thing that helps me keep a good perspective on things.”
