Willy Adames has proved to be potentially one of the best players in the National League. Names such as Jacob deGrom, Fernando Tatis Jr, and even Nick Castellanos come to mind when thinking of who should be the NL MVP. On the other hand, I think it’s time we put Willy Adames’ name in that MVP discussion.
The Tampa Bay Rays traded Adames and RHP Trevor Richards in exchange for bullpen relievers J.P. Feyereisen and Drew Rasmussen. At the time, Adames had played in 41 games with the Rays with a slash line of .197/.254/.371/.625. He hit five home runs and drove in 15, only getting 49 total bases. The numbers really weren’t ideal for the Brewers offense that were in a bit of a slump. Adames never really turned out to be the player the Rays truly wanted him to be, hence the trade. However, things changed very quickly once Willy Adames had a change of uniform and atmosphere.
Making a Difference in Milwaukee
In a little over 200 plate appearances, Adames has smashed 11 home runs in a Brewers uniform. Since joining the team, the Brewers have a 33-16 record, marked the best in MLB. In his 50 games with the team, he’s slashling .306/.383/.557/.941, his career best. Not only that, he leads the Brewers in hits, average, OPS, extra-base hits, doubles, and slugging percentage.
Upon joining the team, Adames seemed to have bring this new wave of electricity with him. Whatever the case may be, the energy has come alive within the team as they sit in first place among the NL Central with a 7 game lead ahead of the second place Cincinnati Reds. After sweeping the Reds in a weekend series, the crew stands 17 games over .500. According to Adam McCalvy, Willy Adames has 26 extra-base hits, and only Shohei Ohtani (30) and Fernando Tatis Jr (29) stand above him in terms of statistics.
Will Sammon of the Athletic shared some ‘fun numbers’ for Adames since joining the team as well. For example, he has a 2.2 fWAR, which is ranked 2nd in the NL, and a .939 OPS ranked 9th.
Some fun numbers since Willy Adames joined the Brewers:
2.2 fWAR: 2nd in NL
.939 OPS: 9th in NL
152 wRC+: 10th in NL— He has a 1.130 OPS w/RISP (53 PAs)
— He is 3 for 9 with a walk and 9 RBIs w/ bases loaded. All 9 RBIs have come with 2 outs, bases loaded.— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) July 17, 2021
He’s Really Good…
Collectively, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee has yet again won another trade with Florida. After this weekend in Cincinnati, Adames needs to be in the MVP talks. On Friday night, he hit a two-run blast at GABP (Great American Ballpark). Additionally, on the same night, he was just inches away from hitting his second grand slam as a Brewer, allowing two runs to score to bring the Brewers up 9-5 in the top of the eighth. In Saturday’s game in the top of the seventh, Adames helped tie up the game with an RBI single. Then in Sunday’s game, he went two-for-two with a single and a two-run blast; He’s now driven in 37 runners since coming to Milwaukee.
So, about that Willy Adames trade… #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/Q1K1zskcQ8
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 18, 2021
Just a little over 10 weeks left in the regular season, and the discussion on who will win the MVP title has been starting to circulate. While some may think it’s a little irrational to think about Willy Adames winning that MVP title, anything could happen. If it were to be solely based on him being in Milwaukee, there’s no doubt he would win NL MVP. Maybe this is what the crew truly needed in order to find that success.
I repeat… https://t.co/ClrElOvVpy
— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) July 18, 2021
With such a huge lead in the NL Central, should the Brewers continue to win and be on a hot streak, the postseason will be served to them on a silver platter.
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