There is question or debate that Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames is struggling this season. When first traded to Milwaukee in 2021, Adames hit .285/.366/.521 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI to help the Brewers reach the postseason for the fourth year in a row.
Last season, his batting line dipped to .238/.298/.458, but he still set the franchise record for home runs by a shortstop by belting 31 home runs to go with his 98 RBI. He was still a highly productive player.
Unfortunately, the 2023 season has seen Adames struggle all year long. He still has decent power numbers with 17 home runs and 48 RBI, but he is hitting just .203/.288/.380. While Milwaukee is still in first place in the National League Central Division, they will need him to break out of his season-long slump if they are to have enough offense to reach and go deep in the playoffs.
Former Brewers catcher Vinny Rottino joined The Mike Heller Show on 97.3 The Game on Friday to explain how and why this will happen.
Former Milwaukee Brewers Catcher Vinny Rottino Explains How and Why Willy Adames Will Break Out of His Slump
Vinny Rottino joined Mike Heller and Doug Russell to discuss the Brewers and their last 52 games of the season on Friday. To close out the interview, Heller asked:
“Willy Adames. I think he has been, since he arrived in Milwaukee, he has been the catalyst. Certainly has struggled, not production, not in home runs, but has struggled at the plate for most of this season. What are the chances that he can find that stroke and be a consistent and be a kind of ‘put-you-over-the-top-producer’ in the final 50 games?”
Rottino’s response should give a great glimmer of hope to Brewers’ fans:
“You never want to rule out a rule out a Willy Adames, because you talk about a guy who will grind through the struggles and try to figure it out any which way he can. That’s what, for me, is holding out hope that he will figure it out, and he will figure it out when the Brewers need him the most.
“And that is coming up here, obviously the rest of this month and then for sure in September. That is going to be the most meaningful baseball the Brewers play all year, for sure in September. Well, we hope October actually.
“But Willy Adames is going to be a big piece of that. I see him trying to figure it out. He’s trying to make adjustments. He’s gotten away from the leg kick. I saw him, on the road in Atlanta and against the Nationals, he was just trying to adjust with that leg kick, and trying to make little adjustments.
“And that’s the thing. If he’s on time, he’s going to see the ball well and he’s going to do well. We just haven’t seen him do damage on those hanging sliders consistently this year. That’s what he’s got to figure out.
“He’s hasn’t been able to kind of just keep those hands back and be able to pick them up this year. I think he’s going to do it. I do. Just because of the guy, just because of the player. And the talent level. He’s such a talented player, but also that mindset that he has to grind through those struggles.”
Heller and Rottino both then discussed how a sign that he has figured it out will be when he starts hitting the ball the other way. The former catcher explained how he can start to do that, but it is going to be a matter of trust within himself that when he swings the way he is supposed to, but maybe pops or grounds out, that he sticks with that swing.
Again, Rottino believes that Adames will figure it out in time to lead the Brewers to the postseason.
For more on Rottino’s analysis of the Brewers, including how Christian Yelich being on the team is vital to the development of the rookies, and for more of Matt Lepay’s reporting from Badgers’ training camp, listen to the whole show linked above. It also includes an exclusive interview with Wisconsin Badgers defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.
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