San Francisco Giants fans have become nervous about the performance of shortstop Willy Adames, whom the Giants signed to a 7-year, $182 million contract in the offseason.
Through nearly two months of the season, Adames has only a .208 batting average with 5 home runs, and has been worth -0.3 bWAR.
But franchise legend and current President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey told KNBR’s “Murph & Markus” show on May 29 that he has complete faith that Adames will turn things around.
“It’s not uncommon when superstar players sign a big deal and struggle out of the gate,” Posey said. “We saw it with Trea Turner, we saw it with Francisco Lindor. You are seeing to an extent with Juan Soto this year. So be patient….Willy is a dude.”
Bob Melvin has echoed Posey’s sentiments in recent days. After Adames went 0-4 at the plate for the Giants in the first game of their most recent series, a three-game sweep at the hands of the Detroit Tigers, Melvin shared that he feels Adames is a little overeager, but made it clear that is a normal thing for players to go through and expressed faith that Adames would get back to his typical production.
“You tend to try to do a little too much sometimes when you get in big RBI situations. I mean, [Adames is] kind of known for that,” Melvin said in a postgame press conference. “[He] hit a ton of three-run homers last year, so it’s going to come. I think, you know, maybe just trying to do a little bit too much and swinging a little bit early in those situations.”
Willy Adames’ Contract Is a Big Investment for San Francisco
This season, Adames is only the fifth-highest paid player on the Giants in terms of annual salary, falling behind fellow stars Matt Chapman, Robbie Ray, Jung Hoo Lee and Justin Verlander.
But collectively, the $182 million that San Francisco committed to Adames is the most for any player in franchise history. Coincidentally, the second-biggest contract was Buster Posey’s contract extension in 2013.
The Giants signed Adames to bring some more star power to the Bay Area and stay afloat in a tight playoff race in the National League West division.
Amid his struggles, Adames has still tried to be a leader in the clubhouse for the Giants.
“I have my work ethic, and I think people see that,” Adames told MLB Network Radio back in Spring Training. “People see me with the same attitude every day, bringing the energy every day and just trying to compete every day.”
Can Adames Get Back to Playing at an MVP Level?
In recent years, Willy Adames has been one of the best shortstops in baseball.
He has hit 20 or more home runs every year since 2021, including a career-high 32 homers in 2024. He also racked up 112 RBIs and finished 10th in National League MVP voting.
At 29 years old, he has several years left of his athletic prime. But, he is going to need to turn it around big time this summer to reach anything close to his 2024 production.
His next opportunity to start a hot streak in the batters box comes this weekend when the Giants take on the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park in a three-game series Friday-Sunday.
Giants fans hope he can find some momentum heading into June – it would likely help them climb out of their three-game hole in the National League West.
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