The State of Alabama Baseball's Weekend Rotation After MLB Draft

Alabama baseball's 2026 roster emerged from last week's MLB Draft in as good of a shape as it could've hoped for. Preeminent among the reasons why is that weekend starters Zane Adams and Tyler Fay will be back in crimson next spring.

The futures of Adams and Fay were looming question marks for next season. Early expectations were that the two would be selected in the draft, therefore being presented with the option of turning professional. The draft came and went without either pitcher being selected.

Adams was 7-4 with a 5.54 earned run average last season. The southpaw's sophomore campaign had its highs and lows. However, his pitch arsenal is legitimate and there was real apprehension that the 21-year-old would not return to Alabama.

He figures to be the staff ace in 2026. Adams remained in the weekend mix even after Fay got the nod to start Fridays midway through April. Consistency was the former's biggest issue this past season. In some games, he struggled out of the gate and would find himself multiple runs behind in the first inning.

Fay only has eight college starts to his name, all this year. That might be a statistic that deterred MLB organizations from taking him. Encouragingly, he was far better as a starting pitcher than he was out of the bullpen. He has the ability to lessen his pitch counts and work deeper into games, in part due to his ground-ball style.

Another year as a full-time starter stands to benefit Fay enormously. He posted a 4.69 ERA in his first season starting SEC games. The right-hander is a viable option to get the ball first on Saturdays in what will be head coach Rob Vaughn's third season.

Getting both of those players back has enormous implications and was best-case scenario for the Crimson Tide on the pitching front. As is often the case, the identity of the eventual No. 3 starter is still up for discussion.

Incoming transfer Tyler Boudreau, who was brought in from Texas Tech via the portal, decided to ink a free-agent deal with the New York Yankees. Had he maintained his commitment to Alabama, he would've been in that conversation. Former Virginia Tech hurler Griffin Stieg, who was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the draft's 18th round, has not made his decision on whether to sign.

Stieg is a possible Sunday choice. He had a 4.70 ERA in 2024. He didn't throw this season because of surgery for an injured UCL in the summer of that same year. Him being drafted was expected; the returns of Fay and Adams could play a role in what Stieg does next, since those returns lowered the number of weekend spots that were going to be competed for in fall camp and afterwards.

Riley Quick, the lone 2025 weekend starter with an ERA below four, was drafted 36th overall by the Minnesota Twins. Quick was not a factor in the Crimson Tide's 2026 expectations because it was known 2025 was going to be his last year in college baseball. In addressing its pitching staff this offseason, Alabama leaned heavily toward adding in the bullpen, picking up new starters later in the cycle.