Giants Baseball Insider

San Francisco Giants Newest Slugger Relied on ‘Fast Swings’ To Bounce Back

A slight change in approach at the plate led to a new San Francisco Giants star getting back on track in 2024.

Kenneth Teape

Sep 13, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field.
Sep 13, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames (27) bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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The San Francisco Giants committed a huge sum of money to shortstop Willy Adames in free agency, hoping he can become the new anchor for their lineup offensively.

The two sides agreed to a massive seven-year, $182 million contract, the largest in franchise history. He earned that contract with a resurgent 2024 campaign after an uncharacteristically underwhelming 2023.

Adames recorded an OPS+ and Rbat+ of only 94, slightly below average numbers. It was his lowest since 2019, his first full season as a professional with the Tampa Bay Rays and the only other time he wasn’t in triple-digits.

He picked the perfect time to get back on track, as he improved both numbers significantly last year, recording an OPS+ of 118 and Rbat+ of 117. Those numbers were buoyed by incredible power output as he hit a career-high in home runs and doubles with 32 and 33, respectively.

The Giants are certainly hoping that pop will travel with him out west, as their lineup was in desperate need of a power infusion this offseason.

Adames is certainly more than capable of providing it, and there is plenty of reason to believe that he will continue piling up numbers in 2025 and beyond.

One of the indicators that there is more damage at the plate coming is that his swing speed is heading in the right direction.

As shared by David Adler of MLB.com, Adames experienced one of the biggest jumps in swing speed from the second half of the 2023 campaign through the entirety of the 2024 season.

His 1.1 mph jump from 72.5 to 73.6 may not sound like much, but it was the third-highest increase, behind only Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets.

His bat speed, coupled with a slight decrease in his swing length, going from 8.2 feet to 8.1 feet, led to him making hard contact with more consistency.

“ In 2023, less than a quarter of his swings qualified as "fast swings" by Statcast's 75-plus mph bat speed threshold. In 2024, over a third of his swings were fast swings,” wrote Adler.

The numbers certainly don’t lie, as Adames saw his production improve across the board, as he also recorded a career-high 153 hits.

While he didn’t set career-highs in average exit velocity or hard hit percentage, the quicker bat resulted in more contact where his natural ability and strength then took over.

It is no surprise based on his swing speed that 2024 featured the highest fly ball rate, 36.4%, and lowest ground ball rate, 30.9%, in a single season of his career. It was also the lowest GB/FB ratio of his career at 0.45, well below the league average of 0.76.

That short, fast swing will play in any stadium, even a pitcher’s haven such as Oracle Park.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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