The Brewers Need Willy Adames To Get Going Offensively

Despite having one of the weakest offenses in baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers are having an excellent season. They are currently in first place in the NL Central mostly because of their pitching staff. Part of the reason Milwaukee’s offense has been stuck for most of the season is due to Willy Adames having a down year. While he has been injured at various points this season, he hasn’t been able to find his bat. For the Brewers to have success, Willy Adames must get going offensively.

A Career Year In 2022

Despite missing over a month of last season, Adames had a career year. He set career highs in home runs (31), RBI (98), and runs (83). His 31 home runs last year broke the Brewers season mark by a shortstop previously held by Robin Yount. However, the Brewers offense still struggled, and they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Prior to missing the playoffs in 2022, Milwaukee had made four straight appearances in the postseason.

A Rough 2023

This season, Adames has experienced a significant decline in offensive production. Adames has a slash line of only .202/.287/.383 with an OPS of .670 and 18 home runs. Adames is the heart and soul of this team. Whenever Adames is hot, the entire Brewers offense follows along. The Brewers offense is doing just enough to win despite Willy Adames’s struggles; however, this isn’t sustainable. It’s also leading the Brewers to potentially overuse their high-leverage relievers including star closer Devin Williams.

Adames has seen a decline in his batting average on balls in play going from .278 in 2022 to .232 this year. His hard-hit ball percentage has also declined from 43.6% last season to 35.2% this year. Another issue that has been plaguing Willy Adames all season is hitting with runners in scoring position. Adames has only put up a slash line of .194/.273/.376 with an OPS of .649 and four home runs and 31 RBI. All these numbers are career worsts for Adames.

Earlier this season, Adames had a very scary moment: he was hit by a batted ball in the dugout and suffered a concussion. He perhaps could still be getting over the after-effects of his head injury. However, with the Brewers only a couple of games up on the Cubs in the NL Central, this is where Milwaukee is going to need Willy Adames’s bat to get hot. He is after all the “spark plug” for this team.

Is Willy Adames Finally Getting Going?

Last month, Willy Adames appeared to finally be getting it together offensively. He put up a slash line of .222/.291/.444 with an OPS of .735 and five home runs. The good offensive month he had in July is something to build off for August. With Christian Yelich looking like his old self again and the acquisitions of Carlos Santana and Mark Canha, this puts less pressure on Adames than in past seasons. If the Brewers want to keep their division lead, then Adames’s bat must be a factor in the line-up.

Milwaukee Needs Adames’s Bat To Get Hot

Willy Adames has been the heart and soul of the Milwaukee Brewers since he arrived in 2021. For the past three seasons, his bat has carried the Brewers offense. With Milwaukee in a tight division race with the Cubs, the Brewers need his bat to get hot. Milwaukee’s offense has had enough problems this season and can’t afford to have any more holes in the line-up.

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