Willy Adames Bio
Willy Rafael Luna Adames (born September 2, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. Adames made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2018, and he remained with the team until they traded him to the Brewers during the 2021 season. After the 2024 season, Adames signed a free agent contract with the Giants.
Across his MLB tenure, Adames has developed a reputation as a steady middle-infield defender and a run-producing middle-of-the-order hitter. He set franchise power records in Milwaukee and quickly became a fan favorite there before reaching free agency and joining San Francisco on one of the richest deals in team history.
Early Life and Background
Willy Rafael Luna Adames was born on September 2, 1995, and grew up in the Dominican Republic, a country that has produced generations of Major League Baseball talent. From an early age, Adames gravitated toward baseball, and his talent was recognized by international scouts while he was still a teenager. That recognition opened the door to a professional career in the United States before he finished his formal education.
Adames signed with the Detroit Tigers as an international free agent in July 2012, completing a path that many young Dominican players travel in pursuit of an MLB opportunity. He came from a baseball culture that emphasizes fundamentals, and that grounding helped him adjust quickly once he entered the minor leagues in 2013.
Path to Professional Baseball
Adames made his professional debut in 2013 with the Dominican Summer League Tigers. In 60 games at that level, he hit .245/.419/.370 with one home run, showing the plate discipline that would later become a hallmark of his game. The following season he moved up to the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Tigers’ Low-A affiliate.
On July 31, 2014, Adames was part of a three-team trade that sent him, Drew Smyly, and Nick Franklin to the Tampa Bay Rays, Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners, and David Price to the Detroit Tigers. The Rays assigned him to the Bowling Green Hot Rods to finish 2014. In 125 combined games between West Michigan and Bowling Green, he batted .271 with eight home runs and 61 RBIs. He spent 2015 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (.258 average, four home runs, 46 RBIs) and 2016 with the Montgomery Biscuits (.274 average, 11 home runs, 57 RBIs, 31 doubles). He was also selected to the World Team in the 2016 All-Star Futures Game and added to Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster after that season. In 2017 with the Durham Bulls, he batted .277 with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs, finishing the year ranked as the top prospect in the Rays farm system.
Willy Adames Career
Early Career (2018)
Adames opened 2018 back at Durham, where he hit .286 with four home runs in 64 games. The Rays promoted him to the majors on May 22, 2018, and he collected his first hit that same night, a solo home run off Chris Sale. After a brief option back to Durham, he returned to Tampa Bay and was later sent down again before his final recall on July 22.
On August 7, 2018, Adames hit a walk-off solo home run against Miguel Castro of the Baltimore Orioles, and a strong August earned him a place on MLB.com’s team of the month after slashing .318/.384/.523 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He finished his rookie season with a .278/.348/.406 line, 10 home runs in 85 games, and a 2.0 wins above replacement, helping the Rays reach 90 wins for the first time since 2013.
Tampa Bay Rays Breakthrough (2019-2020)
In 2019, Adames cemented himself as the Rays’ everyday shortstop, starting 152 games at the position. He hit walk-off singles against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 29 and against the Boston Red Sox on September 29, his third career walk-off. Defensively he recorded 13 Defensive Runs Saved and a 2.1 defensive wins above replacement, while at the plate he hit .254 with 20 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 69 runs scored, totaling 4.2 wins above replacement. In the American League Division Series, he slashed .385/.500/.983 with two home runs and a double against the Astros, and made a highlight-reel assist on a play dubbed “The Relay” by local media in Game 4.
During the shortened 2020 season, Adames played 54 games and slashed .259/.332/.481 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs as the Rays won the American League pennant. He batted .143 with one RBI in the World Series, which Tampa Bay lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games, and was the final out of that Fall Classic.
Milwaukee Brewers Era (2021-2024)
On May 21, 2021, the Rays traded Adames and Trevor Richards to the Milwaukee Brewers for Drew Rasmussen and J. P. Feyereisen. With the Brewers he batted .285 with a .886 OPS, 20 home runs, and 58 RBIs in 99 games, helping Milwaukee win the 2021 NL Central Division. On July 18, 2021, he was named National League Player of the Week after a four-RBI performance against Cincinnati.
In 2022, Adames set career highs with 617 plate appearances, 31 home runs, and 98 RBIs. His 31 home runs set a Brewers franchise record for a shortstop, breaking Robin Yount’s mark of 29. He signed a $4.6 million deal in March 2022 and an $8.7 million deal in January 2023 to avoid arbitration. On September 2, 2024, he tied the major league record for home runs in five consecutive games by a shortstop, a mark he shares with Eddie Miller, Alex Rodriguez, Corey Seager, Trea Turner, and Tyler Fitzgerald. He finished 2024 with a 4.7 wins above replacement and a .251/.331/.462 slash line.
San Francisco Giants Era (2024-Present)
On December 10, 2024, Adames signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, including a $22 million signing bonus, a full no-trade clause, and no deferred money. As of December 2024, it was the largest contract ever given out by the franchise. On September 28, 2025, in the final game of the season, Adames became the first Giants player since Barry Bonds in 2004 to hit 30 home runs in a single season.
Adames was also the 2025 recipient of the Willie Mac Award, an annual honor recognizing the most inspirational Giants player. His first season in San Francisco paired record-setting power with the kind of veteran leadership the front office hoped to add when it signed him.
Notable Events and Milestones
Adames owns a share of the major league record for home runs in five consecutive games by a shortstop, set in September 2024, and holds the Brewers’ single-season home run mark for a shortstop with 31 in 2022. He has also hit multiple walk-off home runs and singles, including key late-season moments for the Rays in 2018 and 2019, and he produced one of the most memorable defensive assists of the 2019 postseason on “The Relay” against the Astros.
Willy Adames Career Wins
Across his MLB career, Willy Adames has built a strong résumé of individual and team achievements, including three All-Star Futures Game nods, an NL Player of the Week honor, a franchise home run record in Milwaukee, and a co-owned major league record for shortstops.
Major League Highlights
Adames has helped three different franchises reach the postseason, including the 2020 American League pennant with the Rays, the 2021 NL Central title with the Brewers, and continued contention with the Giants. He set a Brewers shortstop record with 31 home runs in 2022 and was named NL Player of the Week on July 18, 2021.
Other Awards & Performances
Adames was the 2025 winner of the Willie Mac Award, recognizing the most inspirational Giants player, and he became the first San Francisco player since Barry Bonds in 2004 to hit 30 home runs in a single season when he reached that mark on September 28, 2025.
Willy Adames Family
Personal Life
Willy Adames keeps much of his personal life private, and public details about his immediate family and relationships are limited. He is known to be of Dominican nationality and to maintain ties to the Dominican Republic, the country of his birth and baseball upbringing.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marked Adames’ first year with the San Francisco Giants following his record seven-year, $182 million contract in December 2024. He quickly emerged as a focal point of the lineup and a steady presence at shortstop, pairing the offensive production the front office expected with the everyday durability he had shown in Milwaukee.
His biggest milestone came on September 28, 2025, when he launched his 30th home run in the final game of the season, becoming the first Giants player since Barry Bonds in 2004 to reach that mark. That power surge was a major storyline of his debut campaign in orange and black and helped establish him as one of the franchise’s most productive middle-of-the-order bats.
Adames capped the year by winning the 2025 Willie Mac Award, voted on by teammates, coaches, and staff as the most inspirational Giants player. The award highlighted both his on-field production and his leadership in the clubhouse as he settled into a new organization and city.