Brewers' Willy Adames completes extremely rare shortstop feat in Pirates game
09/24/2024 11:04 PM
The Milwaukee Brewers have had a magical season, winning an NL Central title after their manager and ace left town. Shortstop Willy Adames has been a big reason, putting together one of the best seasons of his career. The pending free agent made Brewers history on Tuesday according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Willy Adames is the first Brewers shortstop to have a 30 homer, 20 steal season. He’s the fourth shortstop across baseball to do it this season after just 10 had done it from 2000-2023,” Hogg posted on social media.
The new pitch clock and expanded bases have increased stealing across baseball. Shortstops have taken advantage, with Gunnar Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr, and Francisco Lindor joining Adames at this plateau. None of those guys have reached the stolen base number of Elly De La Cruz, who is at 65 with five games to play.
It’s hard to imagine having a better walk-year than Willy Adames just did. He leads the Brewers with 111 RBIs and 32 home runs and has played a solid shortstop in the field. Milwaukee traded Corbin Burnes and let Craig Counsell walk because they cannot afford massive contracts. That means Adames might be in a new home next season.
Potential landing spots for Brewers’ Willy Adames
A big-market team will pay big money for Willy Adames this winter. He started his career with the Rays and has spent the last four seasons with the Brewers. He has played almost every game of his career at shortstop, appearing in a few games at second base as a rookie. While Adames could switch positions, we should assume that he will be signed as a shortstop.
The Dodgers have struggled to field strong middle infielders all season. Mookie Betts was making his first appearances at shortstop and excelling before he got hurt in June. Betts is most valuable as an outfielder and the Dodgers have shown a tendency to throw money at their problems. Don’t be surprised if Willy Adames ends up in Los Angeles.
The Red Sox have used shortstop-by-committee this season and it has largely worked. To take that next step forward, they should lock Ceddanne Rafaela into one position and make a big acquisition. If Rafaela heads to the outfield and Adames moves from the Brewers to Fenway, the Red Sox will be better off.
If the Brewers retain Adames this offseason, they will immediately rank among the favorites in the National League. With Jackson Chourio breaking out into stardom, clearing cap to keep him around is key. Developing shortstops is difficult and it is unlikely that the Brewers will create another great player there. After his remarkable season, Adames will get paid no matter where he goes this winter.
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