New SF Giants middle infielder's slow start extends beyond his work at the plate

New SF Giants middle infielder Willy Adames is not just off to a slow start at the plate. His struggles have extended to his work in the field as well.

New SF Giants middle infielder's slow start extends beyond his work at the plate

Adames committed his third error of the season in a blowout loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. His single-season career high is 20 errors, which he set last season, so he is on a similar trajectory in 2025.

That said, errors are not a great way to evaluate a position player. That call is subjective, and it feels like scorekeepers have been a bit too conservative in issuing errors this season. Adames had a ball deflect off his glove in a game against the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend, but because of the high exit velocity, it was ruled a hit rather than an error. 20 years ago, that play probably would have been ruled an error more often than not.

While imperfect, defensive metrics do a better job of assessing a player's work in the field. With Adames, the metrics have generally been favorable.

In 2023, he posted +8 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), +16 Outs Above Average (OAA), and +12 Fielding Run Value (FRV). Regardless of the metric you use, he was an above-average glove at shortstop. In many seasons, he would have merited serious consideration for a Gold Glove Award, but was overlooked and not even one of the three finalists.

The veteran infielder followed this up with a concerning decline in defensive metrics last season. He put up -16 DRS, 0 OAA, and 0 FRV. He was either a below-average infielder or neutral glove, depending on the metric. I tend to prefer OAA, so I lean more toward the latter assessment.

When Adames hit free agency, there were rumors that he would consider a position change to second base down the road. That conversation was not expected to be broached anytime soon, but it showed his willingness to move if the decline continued, and it was also part of his appeal as a player.

That decline has continued into this season so far. Adames has tallied -6 DRS, -4 OAA, and -3 FRV. All three metrics are trending in the wrong direction, albeit in a small sample.

It bears mentioning that it is still very early in the year, so there is plenty of time to turn that around. Players tend to move around a little better when the weather warms up. It is something to monitor as the season progresses.

Adames also has not produced much at the plate yet. He is making hard contact, but he is not barreling up pitches with consistency yet. While the Giants expect that to turn around at some point, they will want to see the defense show improvement as well.

When they signed him to a seven-year deal, I think there was some inherent understanding that he would eventually move off of shortstop. That is a conversation they would rather have in the back half of the deal.