Willy Adames’ First Season with Giants Ultimately Pays Off After Slow Start

The San Francisco Giants made shortstop Willy Adames a wealthy man and his first season in the Bay Area turned into a solid one.

San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) runs the bases after his solo home run against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning at Oracle Park. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants wanted to make a splash in free agency last offseason, the first under the watch of president of baseball operations Buster Posey.

The former Giants catcher had signed the biggest contract in franchise history — until he lured shortstop Willy Adames to the Bay Area with a seven-year deal worth $182 million. That broke his franchise record, and by the end of the 2025 season, Posey had three players on his payroll with nine-figure contracts.

The expectations were high for Adames, who was coming off a huge offensive season with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Giants were in an extensive drought of seasons without a player with 30 home runs. The expectation was that Adames would snap it. Some of his numbers didn’t look great. But, by season’s end he snapped the streak and gave the Giants durability at a key position.

San Francisco Giants Shortstop Breakdown

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Adames played in 160 games in his age 29 season. He played 159 of those games at shortstop, with one as designated hitter. Sergio Alcántara, Christian Koss, Casey Schmitt and Brett Wisely spelled the veteran.

For the season he slashed .225/.318/.421 with 30 home runs and 87 RBI. So, he became the first Giants player since Barry Bonds to do it. Bonds last hit 30 or more home runs in a season in 2004. Rafael Devers hit 35 home runs for the season but didn’t join the team until a trade in June. Adames also had 22 doubles, 2 triples, 12 stolen bases and 94 runs, the last of which was a single-season high.

But it was a fight to get there. Adames was batting under .200 until June 10, when he started to pick things up at the plate. After that, he slashed .247/.343/.497 with an .840 OPS with 24 home runs and 59 RBI.

He was in the red in all three major value categories on Baseball Savant — 72nd percentile in batting run value, 74th percentile in baserunning run value and 78th percentile in fielding run value. His batting percentages were mostly in the blue and gray with one notable exception — the 84th percentile in walk percentage (11.7%). His fielding range (OAA) was in the 89th percentile and his arm strength was in the 70th percentile.

Adames gives the franchise a foundation at a position where they struggled to find the right player in seasons prior. While his slash was below his career average, the power emerged in the second half and his defense remained among near-elite percentages. He’s a piece that should help the Giants get back to the playoffs soon.