SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Willy Adames knows full well that he got off to a slow start in his first season with the Giants.
When a reporter brought up that it took “a little time” for him to get going last year, Adames made it clear that he thought that was putting it lightly.
“A little time?” Adames said before the Giants' 6-2 win over the Athletics Monday at Scottsdale Stadium. “Four months!”
San Francisco expected Adames to serve as a key middle-of-the-order bat after signing him to a franchise-record $182 million deal last offseason, but the 30-year-old shortstop slumped to a .680 OPS in the first half of 2025. He managed to find his groove in the second half, though, logging an .828 OPS over his final 64 games to finish with a team-high 30 home runs.
Adames has acknowledged that it took longer than he would have liked to adjust to hitting in San Francisco, but he thinks he’ll be in a better position to come out of the gates strong now that he’s more familiar with his surroundings.
“I believe so,” Adames said. “You go into the offseason, you go and work hard, make adjustments. This is going to be my second year now. I don’t have to impress anybody. They all know me. Now I’m more adjusted to the city, to the stadium, to everything. Now I know a little bit more about how things work in San Francisco.
“I know I don’t have to change my swing. Balls can fly anyway. It’s going to be a little harder than maybe Cincinnati or Milwaukee, but it still flies when you hit it. You’ve just got to hit it.”
Adames didn’t disappoint when it came to his power numbers -- he became the first Giants hitter to record a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004 -- but he still wants to find ways to minimize his cold stretches this year. He spent the offseason working to make some tweaks to his batting stance that he hopes will help him lock in his timing and find more consistency at the plate moving forward.
Adames used to have a more crouched setup in the box, but he’s now standing more upright and doesn’t have as pronounced of a leg kick as he did last year.
A look at Willy Adames' batting stance from 2025
“I’m trying to make some adjustments,” Adames said. “The game is evolving. Guys are throwing 105 [mph] with movement. I’m trying to eliminate as many movements as I can. Try to be more simple. I’m not trying to do anything drastic. But just trying to adjust to being more consistent.”
Giants hitting coach Hunter Mense said he thinks Adames has looked comfortable with the changes so far.
A look at Willy Adames' updated batting stance in Spring Training
“If you look at his career, he's kind of toyed and messed around with a bunch of different things,” Mense said. “No matter what he's always done, he's always hit, and he's always hit for power. With him, it's always about creating some sort of rhythm within the field that he has. If he's able to create some rhythm, it's going to be really good.
“You'll see with guys a lot of times, and him especially, there's just different ways that they start to move just to try to create better timing windows. He's always experimenting with what is the best timing window that he can create, and what are some of the best ways to get there. He's in a good spot right now and getting confident with what he’s doing and how he’s moving.”
Between Adames, Matt Chapman and Rafael Devers, the Giants should have multiple 30-homer threats in their lineup this season, which should be a boon for an offense that struggled to fire on all cylinders in 2025. Adames said he’s especially eager to see what Devers can do over the course of a full season in San Francisco.
“Just having him in the lineup for a whole year is going to be special,” Adames said. “I think he’s one of the best hitters in the game. He’s going to show that this year. He’s going to be more comfortable in his second year here with us. I think he’s feeling like we treated him great and he’s been comfortable. I think he’s going to do some great things this year.”
Adames is also looking forward to playing alongside second baseman Luis Arraez, who will serve as his new double-play partner after joining the Giants on a one-year, $12 million deal over the winter.
“We’ve been doing everything together,” Adames said. “A lot of early work, all the ground balls. We’re doing it together, just to get comfortable with each other. I think we’re going to be really good. He’s going to be really good. He’s going to prove a lot of people wrong.”