SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Willy Adames didn’t need much time to excite the contingent of fans seated behind the first-base dugout at Scottsdale Stadium on the first day of full-squad workouts.
In his first live batting practice session of the spring, Adames sent right-hander Sean Hjelle’s second offering over the left-field fence and into the opposing bullpen. It was a glimpse of what the Giants hope Adames can provide over the next seven years.
“Every time you touch the barrel this early in the spring is a great feeling,” Adames said with a smile.
Before Adames cleared the fences for the first time, president of baseball operations Buster Posey set the tone for spring training by speaking to the team in the clubhouse. Manager Bob Melvin addressed the team as well but crossed several items off his list because Posey beat him to the punch. When Adames discussed his signing, he said Posey was the factor, sharing that his meeting with the Giants was solely between the two.
The speeches were accompanied by a video, one featuring highlights of former Giants such as Willie Mays and Will Clark, as well as current players such as Logan Webb and Justin Verlander.
“We’re all kind of thinking the same things,” Melvin said. “It’s about team here, and Buster was kind of the ultimate team player for a star. The message was: if we’re going to go where we want to go, we’ve got to do it together.”
Added Adames: “I bought into his plan for this organization, what he wants to build here in the near future. I want to be part of that. I want to have something that’s similar to what they had when they were champions three times in five years. We want to build something like that here now.”
For the Giants to get where they want to go, they’ll also need Adames to continue playing at a high level.
Adames, 29, enters his first camp with the orange and black fresh off signing a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million contract, a record that previously belonged to Posey ($167 million). The signing of Adames appeared to signal that an active offseason lie ahead for San Francisco, which lost left-hander Blake Snell and outfielder Michael Conforto to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. Instead, the rest of the winter was relatively quiet.
The Giants did, indeed, beef up the rotation by signing right-hander Justin Verlander to a one-year, $17 million deal. Jung Hoo Lee could also be considered like a new signing given he only played 37 games. But the bulk of last year’s roster — a roster that finished fourth place in the NL West — remains the same.
“We’re counting on the young guys to step up and be themselves,” Adames said. “I feel like we have amazing talent here. We have to go out there and compete and put up numbers and win games. As far as the talent we have here, I think we’re in a really good spot.
“The division is tough. We’re going to have to go out there and beat everybody playing the right baseball. That’s the culture we’re trying to create here in spring training: play baseball the right way and take advantage of every opportunity that we can and see what happens after that.”
Adames, himself, stands to provide an instant boost of power after setting career-highs in homers (32), RBIs (112), runs (93) and steals (21) last season. The main area of Adames’ game to monitor, though, will be his defense.
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The shortstop is coming off the worst defensive season of his career, one where he had a career-worst 20 errors. Adames’ -16 defensive runs saved wasn’t just the worst mark among all shortstops, but the worst mark among all defenders. The poor defensive season was atypical of Adames, who recorded 28 defensive runs saved from 2019-2023. To Adames, the miscues were a matter of confidence.
Adames shared that last season, he went through a three-week period where he lost his confidence. Of the 20 errors that Adames committed, 11 of them happened in July and August. For Adames, re-gaining his confidence was a matter of consistently making plays. By September, he felt, once again, like himself.
“When you get into that hole, if you don’t have somebody to pull you out of that, it’s tough to get out of that,” Adames said. “I finished the season really well. I have my confidence back and I’m just going to go out there and be the same guy.”
Adames stands to receive a boost defensively by playing next to third baseman Matt Chapman, who won the fifth Gold Glove Award of his career this offseason. Metrically, Chapman was slightly above-average on grounders hit to his left last season (+1 out above average), and Adames joked that he won’t have to worry about his backhand because of Chapman’s range.
“I just have to work on my glove side,” Adames smiled. “I don’t even have to worry about my backhand. It just gives you more confidence to be out there.”
It’s not uncommon for players to struggle in the first year of a big contract, but Adames said the experience of being traded twice makes the process of adapting easier. Adames, who has a house in the area, spent time with his new teammates over the last month in an effort to build early chemistry.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about Willy,” Chapman told this news organization in January. “All my experiences with him have been awesome. … It seems like he has the same vision and goals I do and the rest of this team does. I’m really excited to have him. He has leadership qualities about him, so it’s really nice to have other guys like that.”
Murphy dealing with oblique issue
Catcher Tom Murphy has a mild oblique strain and it will be 7-10 days before he’s able to potentially play in a game, per Melvin.
Melvin said on Sunday that Murphy was dealing with a back issue, but the MRI that Murphy underwent revealed it was an oblique.
Murphy only played 13 games last season due to a left knee injury. Aside from Patrick Bailey, the only other catcher on the 40-man roster is Sam Huff, acquired from the Texas Rangers off waivers. Max Stassi, who hasn’t played in the majors since 2022, is in camp as well as a non-roster invitee.
