No one could have expected that Willy Adames would shift the balance of power in the NL Central. The Milwaukee Brewers were in need of anyone that could play an even close to competent shortstop, leading to their acquisition of Adames on May 21.
At the time of the trade, Adames had been a disappointment with the Rays. A four time consensus top 100 prospect, he was expected to be a solid all around player at short, someone that would be able to fill up the stat sheet while providing the type of defense required at the position. While he showed flashes of that potential, Adames was never able to be the player that the Rays envisioned.
Willy Adames making difference for Milwaukee Brewers
At the time of the trade, Adames was in the midst of his worst season in Tampa Bay, posting a .197/.254/.371 batting line in his 142 plate appearances, hitting five homers and six doubles while striking out 51 times. With top prospect Wander Franco on the cusp of reaching the majors at that point, Adames had played his way out of town.
The Brewers, meanwhile, were hoping that a change of scenery would make a difference and allow Adames to be the player he was projected to be. That has been the case thus far, as he has posted a .290/.372/.543 batting line in his 183 plate appearances, hitting nine homers and 14 doubles.
Given that production, it is not a surprise that the Brewers have taken off since he was brought on board. Milwaukee has posted a stellar 32-13 record since that trade, drastically distancing themselves from the pack in the NL Central. While it may not be fair to put all of that success on Adames, his trade was certainly the catalyst to the Brewers’ run.
It is fair to wonder if this is just an impressive hot streak or if Adames has found himself. He has had times where he performed well in the past, only to cool off as the season continued. It may be that the opposition has not adjusted to him yet and those struggles are coming. But until that happens, if it does, the Brewers will continue to ride the hot hand.
Willy Adames is showing why he was such a highly rated prospect. It is not a coincidence that the Milwaukee Brewers are on fire since bringing him on board.