After a down year offensively and trade rumors, Willy Adames is still the Brewers shortstop, and he's determined to improve
PHOENIX – Willy Adames is back with the Milwaukee Brewers, and for that he’s thankful.
“Of course,” he said. “I’ve been here for three years now (traded from the Tampa Bay Rays on May 21, 2021). You create that bond with the boys. You always want to keep growing those relationships. The three years I’ve been here we’ve been competing, and we’ve had a pretty good team and some young guys that are exciting to watch and fun to play with.
“I’m looking forward to that (again).”
Due to Adames’ status as an impending free agent, and the sides failing to come to an agreement to keep him in Milwaukee for the long term, the expectation all offseason was that at some point he would be traded.
The Brewers did eventually pull the trigger with their other big-name player who was in a similar position when they sent right-hander Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles two weeks before camp in exchange for DL Hall, Joey Ortiz and a 2024 draft pick.
But there the 28-year-old Adames was in the clubhouse in Maryvale, preparing for what in all likelihood will be his final season as the Brewers' shortstop.
“Not really, because you’ve got to get ready no matter what,” he said when asked if the rumors impacted his offseason. “Obviously, you want to know what’s going to happen, but you can’t control that. You’ve just got to get ready for the season. You just try to adjust to it, be here and give 100% every day.
“Just be myself. Try to be the same guy every day and keep helping the young kids and be the best teammate I can be.”
How the Brewers fare this season could determine whether Adames goes the distance with the team. If they struggle, a deadline trade in late July is likely to occur.
If they compete as they expect to, perhaps Adames will end up being a linchpin in another playoff appearance.
Here are four observations about Milwaukee’s shortstop situation.
Willy Adames hoping to halt the downward offensive spiral
Adames has been the Brewers’ most consistent run producer since joining the team, setting career highs with 31 homers and 98 RBI in 2022 and leading Milwaukee with 24 homers and 80 RBI in 2023.
But that production has come at the expense of his batting average, which sagged from .238 in 2022 to a career-low .217 last season with strikeout totals that were his highest and second-highest since breaking into the majors in 2018.
Adames did set a new personal high for walks with 71 (his 11.1% rate ranked in the 82nd percentile in the majors) and he also ranked in the 82nd percentile with a 12.4% barrel rate.
Other than that, his overall batting profile as represented by the metrics was less than impressive, with plenty of room for improvement.
“There’s some stuff I need to improve and get better at,” Adames said. “Every year you have room to get better. Maybe last year wasn’t what I wanted to do, but that’s how it goes. Some years are going to be better than others, and you’ve just got to make the adjustment and have a better year the next year after a season like that.
“I worked hard this offseason to make some adjustments to try and have a better year this year.”
Adames was pressed for more specifics.
“More the mindset. Be more consistent at stuff I wasn’t doing last year,” he said. “Just basic stuff. I think last year the mindset wasn’t there. Sometimes your comfort level goes away, and it’s hard to get it back. It’s nothing major, nothing crazy. I’m just trying to be more consistent.
“During the season sometimes, you get into a hole and you can’t get out of it. The offseason helps you to relax and let go and just try to get your mindset right. Try to prepare yourself way better than the year before.”
Manager Pat Murphy is a firm believer that Adames will make the necessary adjustments.
“I think like most of us, he's under construction,” he said. “He's finding himself, you know what I mean? He's open to growth and he's open to getting better. So, whatever the past was, was the past, but I think he's in a pretty good spot to say, ‘Hey, I want to get better offensively, whatever way I can.
“The numbers get printed out over time. But I think he's in a growth mindset about, ‘I just want to be a better offensive player. I want to be a better defensive player. I want to be a better player.’ That's who the kid is.”
It's tough to get better than Willy Adames on defense
One thing that can be said about Adames is despite his struggles at the plate, he hasn’t taken them into the field.
Just how good was he at shortstop last season?
According to Baseball Savant, Major League Baseball’s official statistical portal, Adames was credited with 16 outs above average – a total that ranked sixth among all defenders and second among shortstops behind only Dansby Swanson of the Chicago Cubs (20).
Adames was also credited with 12 runs prevented and did his best work while coming in on balls. FanGraphs tabbed him for eight defensive runs saved in 1,282 innings, one fewer than he accounted for in 2022.
“It’s just consistency,” Adames said. “Every year you have room to improve, be better. I don’t take it for granted. I try to be better in both sides of the game. The defense has been better than the offense, but I’m continuing to work and trying to get better at my defense.
“It’s not like I’ve been winning Gold Gloves (Adames wasn’t even a finalist in 2023), but it’s still in my mind. I’m trying. A Gold Glove is one of my dreams, so I’m working harder every year at it to try to win it.”
Adames remains the Brewers' iron man and energy source
Adames played in a team-leading 149 games in 2023, marking the fourth time in his five full seasons in the majors he’s played in at least 139.
Expect that trend to continue, provided he can remain healthy.
“He plays every day and he wants to be in there every day. You’ve got to drag him out of there,” Murphy said. “He goes at it so hard and then he takes it so personal, and all that is exhausting.”
And yet somehow, Adames continues to serve as the heartbeat of the team with an energy and enthusiasm that is infectious.
“Willy can play on any team,” Murphy said. “There's no manager in the league that doesn't want Willy on their team. I mean, just the way he brings it, what he does, what he's about, the way he competes, the way he handles the ups and downs – he brings it every day. And he brings it every day with passion.
“Yeah, every manager in baseball wants Willy Adames on their team.”
Who else is in the Brewers' mix at shortstop?
Brice Turang made 10 starts in place of Adames in 2023 and he along with the newcomer Ortiz, another slick fielder capable of playing around the infield, would be Murphy’s top two options as the backup.
Andruw Monasterio, who made five starts at shortstop last season, would be next followed by Vinny Capra and Yonny Hernández, both of whom have limited major-league experience and are in camp as non-roster players.
More: Brice Turang? Joey Ortiz? The Brewers have plenty of young options at second base in 2024
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Willy Adames still Brewers' shortstop, and he's determined to improve
