Willy Adames seems to have more fun than anybody else on the diamond. Win or lose, hitting or not hitting, the Giants’ shortstop is among the league leaders in exuberance and joy.
That matters. Just like chemistry, camaraderie, and other intangibles matter through the 162-game, six-month, emotionally draining grind.
It helps to have a guy like Adames on hand to provide good vibes and high energy, someone who’s even-keeled through the highs and lows — even when he’s not producing to his standards, which is the case for Adames so far in 2025.
The Giants began a weeklong homestand Monday night by securing a 5-2 win over Adames’ old mates, the Brewers, and he felt right at home yucking it up with the visiting team during batting practice and in the game itself.
It’s an admirable quality, really, what he brings to the Giants beyond the numbers. It’s all part of the package that convinced president of baseball operations Buster Posey to recruit him in the offseason.
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“It’s a long season,” Adames said, “and there will be dark moments as well as amazing moments. That’s why I don’t change. I can’t change the vibe, change the energy for the boys, because I’m not doing great. Some of the guys are killing it. I’ve got to support them. And I’ve got to support the guys that aren’t doing great, like me. I have to continue to bring the energy and continue to be myself.”
In December, Adames signed the biggest contract in franchise history, seven years and $182 million, but he got off to a slow start and is hitting a mere .194 with one homer and a .531 OPS. A far cry from his 2024 season with the Brewers when he collected 32 homers and 112 RBIs, posted a .794 OPS, and finished 10th in the National League MVP voting.
He showed positive signs at the end of the 10-game trip, going 3-for-8 over the weekend in Anaheim to push his average above .200. But Monday, he went 0-for-4 to fall back into the .100s.
“It’s been great so far in terms of the team,” Adames said of the 15-8 Giants. “For me, it takes a while to get going, but as long as we continue to win games, I really don’t care about myself.”
What Adames means as a teammate, especially among young players who are finding their way, can’t necessarily be quantified. “A lot of guys fed off his energy from spring training, and I think that’s why we’re so close this year,” said his double-play partner, second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald, who went 2-for-3 Monday. “It’s something you can’t really teach. That’s just who he is.”
“He’s a great dude in the clubhouse, outside the clubhouse, and plays as hard as he can every single pitch,” said Hayden Birdsong, who pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn his first win of the year. “He might be struggling right now, but I bet a month from now he’ll be raking.”
Adames considers himself a slow starter, and the numbers back it up. His career average in March and April is just .221 (.677 OPS), far different from his best career month of August (.283, .854). Signing a mega-contract and joining a new team could lead to extra pressure, though Adames denied it’s the case for him. He said it’s more about his tendency to start seasons slowly.
“I don’t really worry about it,” he said. “I’m just working, trying to find it right now. It’s how it is, unfortunately for me. It always takes time for me to get going. I always continue to work and try to find my adjustment. And when I click, I just click, and it doesn’t go away.”
If there ever was a series for which to be motivated, this is it. After playing four seasons with the Brewers and helping them reach the postseason three times, Adames said, he got no offer to return in 2025, which surprised him.
“They didn’t even call,” Adames said. “So I knew that it was not going to happen because they didn’t even ask. Since I started talking to teams, I knew it was going to be somewhere else because they didn’t show any interest.
“I mean, I was suspecting at least a call just to see what I was looking for, what I wanted. At the end of the day, you kind of had an idea that it was not going to happen. But it’s always shocking when you don’t get a call. Especially for the fans. The fans were amazing. They treated me like home. I’m sure they were expecting some push.”
Coming off a 5-5 trip through New York, Philadelphia and Anaheim, the Giants received solid pitching Monday from Robbie Ray (five innings, two runs), Birdsong, and Camilo Doval (a perfect ninth for the save – on a night closer Ryan Walker was rested in the wake of his disastrous performance Sunday.)
Wilmer Flores broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with his seventh homer, and the Giants padded the score on Jung Hoo Lee’s seventh-inning triple and Patrick Bailey’s sacrifice fly in the eighth.
When it ended, no one was more animated than Adames in the high-five line. No hits for the shortstop but another win for the Giants.
“It’s been great,” Adames said of his brief time in San Francisco. “Everywhere we go, people treat me and my family great. I’m liking the city so far, it’s been amazing.”