- Former Brewers shortstop Willy Adames will face his old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, for the first time since joining the San Francisco Giants.
- Adames, known for his clutch performances and leadership, left a lasting impact on the Brewers organization.
- Teammates recall Adames’ consistent work ethic, positive clubhouse presence, and mentorship of younger players.
SAN FRANCISCO – As Pat Murphy prepared to face the San Francisco Giants, his mind wandered to unconventional game-planning – specifically against the opposing shortstop.
“I thought about the first pitch to Willy,” Murphy said. “If there’s nobody on base, just throwing it underhand. Just give him the cookie.”
Murphy and the Milwaukee Brewers won’t do that when Willy Adames strolls to the plate against his former team for the first time Monday night at Oracle Park. Well, probably not.
But the manager’s point remains nonetheless, even if the first pitch to Adames is a fastball dotting the outside corner and not a lollipop: The Brewers’ starting shortstop of the previous four seasons left an impact on the organization that deserves to be recognized.
“I don’t know what Willy’s numbers were,” Murphy said. “I never will. I know he was clutch. I could depend on him. I know he was a gamer. I know he cared about the team. I know he wasn’t afraid. I know that he understood the game.
“He was special.”
The numbers, whether Murphy can recite them or not, were stellar for Adames with Milwaukee. After being acquired from Tampa Bay for Drew Rasmussen and JP Feyereisen on May 21, 2021, Adames proceeded to hit 119 home runs, drove in 348 runs, posted a .780 OPS and was worth 13.9 Wins Above Replacement.
Yet as the Brewers prepare to face Adames for the first time since he signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants in the off-season, those numbers aren’t the first thing that comes to his former teammates’ minds.
“What stands out about Willy to me was the consistency,” said Brandon Woodruff, Adames’ teammate each of his years in Milwaukee. “The work ethic every day was what you need from a starting shortstop. I think those are the things that stand out to me. In the clubhouse, the way he carried himself around people, the way he interacted with not just one person but the whole group, that was really valuable.”
Adames’ impact is still visible in the Brewers’ clubhouse, particularly if you look at the row of young Latin-American players where Jackson Chourio, Abner Uribe and William Contreras sit.
Chourio, in particular, was on the receiving end of Adames’ leadership as he scuffled along for the first two months of his rookie season in 2024. At 20 years old in a new city and in the major leagues for the first time, Chourio leaned upon Adames for leadership, guidance and, perhaps most important of all, friendship.
“He was a really important part of my first year,” Chourio said. “We talked all the time and not just about the game. We had open communication over anything. He was someone I could talk to about anything and he would support me.”
Uribe, who came up in 2023 at 23 years old, echoed a similar sentiment.
“I learned a lot,” Uribe said. “We all learned a lot from him. Willy’s one of the best players, best teammates that I’ve ever had. He helped me a lot with my confidence.”
Adames made his presence felt naturally and in many ways, whether it was domino nights with all the Latin players at Freddy Peralta’s house, pep talks when he felt a younger player needed some confidence or simply showing up to the park everyday ready to play.
“When I got here and I’d look around at Willy, he was the same person every day, no matter what,” Uribe said. “Whether it was a good day or bad he was the same person. That’s what I loved about him.”
Each year, every team forms its own identity – or at least tries to – based on the group in the room. The Brewers in 2025 are no different. Yet, even if they’ve been able to move forward without Adames, there’s an absence in the clubhouse this spring nevertheless.
“Each team has their own identity,” Woodruff said. “You got some of the same faces here still. But you go from having a guy like Willy, who’s very energetic and is a presence in the clubhouse to not being here, it’s a bit of an adjustment. Not taking anything away from anybody else. Willy’s just one of a kind.
“What a dude, man. That’s my guy.”
Woodruff, as do many of his teammates, still talk with Adames regularly, even if it’s just a simple text here or there. It will be strange seeing him in the batter’s box Monday wearing orange and black, they say, but the friendship only wants to make them beat him even more.
“I’m going to strike him out,” Uribe said. “First at-bat.”
Adames, ever the competitor, would want it no other way – just facing off with some old friends and playing a game.
“Above everything, he was a good friend. At the end of the day, that’s what matters,” Woodruff said. “Just a really good friend.”
