MILWAUKEE (AP) — San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames returned to Milwaukee on Friday and said he isn't particularly surprised by his former team's summertime surge.
Adames helped lead the Brewers to three playoff appearances from 2021-24 before the Giants signed him to a seven-year, $182 million contract. He returned to American Family Field for the first time since his exit to face a Brewers team that has the best record in the majors.
The 29-year-old Adames says the biggest thing that has caught his attention about this Milwaukee team is how the Brewers have received contributions from everyone on the roster rather than relying on a few players to carry them.
"Everybody's ready to be the guy," Adames said. "It's not just (Christian) Yelich or (William) Contreras or (Jackson) Chourio. Everybody."
Adames said the Brewers' speed enables them to withstand their relative lack of power. The Brewers entered Friday 18th in the majors in homers (136) but second in runs scored (658).
"I feel like they run a lot," Adames said. "They put themselves in scoring position a majority of time. When you do that, it doesn't matter if you hit homers or not. You've got a lot of chances to score when you have guys in scoring position."
Adames savored his return to Milwaukee so much that he went in the home locker room and even said a quick hello to Brewers manager Pat Murphy early Friday afternoon.
Murphy said one of his major offseason concerns was how the Brewers could replace the leadership Adames provided in the clubhouse.
"Probably every day, whether we were thinking about players or just the atmosphere, the culture, whatever," Murphy said. "You always think about presence, a presence like that. He's special."
Adames said his return to Milwaukee is particularly special because it's happening on the weekend when the Brewers are honoring longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker with a pregame celebration of life ceremony Sunday.
Uecker died Jan. 16 at the age of 90. Asked about his favorite Uecker memories, Adames said that "every day was an unbelievable moment with him" and noted that the broadcaster's "energy was insane."
Adames also reflected on the friendship his father had with Uecker, a relationship that overcame a language barrier.
"It made me appreciate him more," Adames said. "He embraced my family even though they didn't speak the same language. They sent each other gifts. I was like, 'How do you guys like each other so much? I don't understand. What's going on here?'"
He remains enormously popular with his former Brewers teammates and Milwaukee's fan base. Adames was named the team's most valuable player by Milwaukee's chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in 2021 and 2022.
In his final season with Milwaukee, Adames set career highs with 32 homers and 112 RBIs.
"I feel like even the first year I got here, (Brewers fans) welcomed me like I was part of them, like I came up with the team," Adames said. "They embraced me since day one. They gave me love since day one and they never stopped doing it. Even when I had a bad year in '23, they still loved me. They still gave me love and still supported me. That made the relationship special."
Adames hasn't produced at a similar rate his first year in San Francisco. He's batting .222 with a .310 on-base percentage, .397 slugging percentage, 20 homers and 63 RBIs in 126 games. Adames had a .457 slugging percentage during his Milwaukee tenure.
San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said the Giants remain happy with what Adames has provided thus far.
"He's meant a lot to this team, not only on the field and what he does playing every day, the production you get, but also the energy he brings every day," Melvin said. "Everybody knows what he's all about. He's a great teammate. He's shown up from day one for us and been a great signing for us."
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