A.J. Achter

Adam Joseph Achter was born on August 27, 1988 in Oregon, Ohio.

The Minnesota Twins drafted him in round 46 of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Michigan State University. With two years of college eligibility remaining, he was not expected to sign. Achter began to dominate for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League that summer, causing the Twins to offer him a $50,000 signing bonus just ahead of the late-August deadline for draft picks to sign. This was more money than seventh round pick from that same draft class received.

Achter had a 4.52 ERA as a starter in Class-A during the 2011 season. He was then converted to the bullpen, and posted a 1.70 ERA between Class-A and High-A the following year. Achter reached Triple-A in 2013, and made his big league debut for the Twins as a September call-up in 2014. His debut went well, finishing an 11-4 win over the Chicago White Sox with a 1-2-3 inning. He allowed four runs over 11.0 innings that month (3.27 ERA).

Minnesota put Achter in Triple-A to begin 2014, and he recorded a 2.63 ERA with 14 saves for the Rochester Red Wings. They called him up in mid-August. His first two appearances did not go well, getting tagged for six earned runs in 1.1 innings. Achter settled down after that, allowing just four runs over 12.0 innings (3.00 ERA) while finishing out that year with the Twins.

He was non-tendered by Minnesota that off-season, getting claimed on waivers by the Los Angeles Angels. Achter had a 3.11 ERA in 37.2 innings with them in 2016, spending a chunk of the year in Triple-A. He spent the first half of 2017 in the Detroit Tigers minor league system, and the second half with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League.

Achter was the pitching coach at Eastern Michigan University from 2018 through 2020.