Free Willy
Royals 4, Giants 3
Willy Adames wants to be The Guy so bad. I want it for him too.
He signed the richest free agent contract in franchise history as much for what he does off the field as for what he does on it.
The smiles, the handshakes, the Powerade cooler. His vibes are as high as his pop-ups.
And yet, too often we’re left to reconcile the good with the bad.
One moment Adames is swatting a game-tying homer with two outs in the ninth. The next he’s inexplicably standing in front of second base when the catcher’s throwing to him on a bunt play.
He’s 3 for 16 since the All Star break. All three hits are home runs.
Bad, good. Good, bad.
Every player is a mixture of the two, and Adames is no different. Except I can’t remember a player so easy to root for and maddening to watch all at once.
Up next: Tyler Mahle (2 - 8, 5.31 ERA) faces Luinder Avila (4 - 3, 5.08 ERA) at 4:40 pm. We’re officially less than two weeks from the trade deadline.