Willy Adames was a signing that marked the start of a new era in San Francisco. It took seven years and $182 million to get it done, but the Giants believed he would be a key piece, especially for a team in desperate need of a shortstop post-Brandon Crawford. 40 games into 2025, though, all is not unfolding as both parties hoped. It would be foolish, however, to write off a player who received MVP votes last year. His last two weeks have proved just that.
Willy Adames Looks to Bounce Back for the Giants
Struggles with the Bat
Best known for his power, many tipped Adames to break the long-standing 30-home run drought for the Giants. The lack of power shown is perhaps the most concerning aspect of Adames’ start. Only four home runs thus far is a surprise, particularly when two came in a single game last week. In fact, he is only slugging .340 on the year with a .122 ISO. It is easy to see why, too.
There are no issues with hitting the ball hard. Adames’ hard hit% is four percent up from last year and his exit velocity is only 0.2 less. The telling stat is that despite this, he has a 2.4% lower barrel rate than last year. From 12 to 9.6 is a huge difference, especially considering barrels tend to produce hits over 80% of the time and slug over 2.300. To further emphasize this point, he is pulling the ball in the air over seven percent less than in 2024, and pulling on the ground over five percent more.
As we said, though, he has shown signs of life offensively the last two weeks. His OPS is .888 compared to the full year’s measly .639. This is due to a jump in his power. His .523 slugging in that time is thanks to six extra-base hits, including three home runs. Even with this added aggression, Adames has also seen his BB% rise to 13.5%. It is this combination that has always made Adames deadly, and luckily for Giants fans, he may have just arrived.
Willy Adames gets the @SFGiants on the board with his 3rd blast of the season
pic.twitter.com/GLfeOEU7LO
— MLB (@MLB) May 4, 2025
Defensive Issues
Defense was a big issue surrounding Adames when he joined the Giants, particularly as the shortstop signed a seven-year deal. It is unlikely that he will stick at short for the entire duration of his contract. Many wonder, though if he is good enough to be there right now. This season may be proving them right. His negative four OAA is a cause for concern, particularly as it continues a pattern of decline across the last three years.
The issue doesn’t lie in an aging arm, but more so in his range. His issues moving towards first have continued, with his success in other directions disappearing. Having an elite defender at third base beside him would of course play a part in this disappearance.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, we are only 40 games into a seven-year contract for Adames. So he has a long way to go before cementing his reputation as a Giant. However, we have seen the best and the worst of him so far in 2025. Stints of hitting below the Mendoza line mixed with stints of making even Oracle Park look small. Flashes of a gold glove mixed with a string of errors. The real question is what version of Willy Adames is going to stick around.
Photo Credit: © Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
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