New Giant Adames going above and beyond to embrace leadership role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN JOSE – Willy Adames wasted no time establishing himself as one of The faces of the Giants organization.
After signing a $182 million franchise tag contract in early December, Adames immediately got to work as San Francisco’s new ambassador.
Just days after putting pen to paper on his Giants contract, the veteran shortstop contacted free agent starting pitcher Corbin Burnes in an effort to recruit him to San Francisco before his former Brewers teammate Milwaukee finally signed with the Arizona Diamonds.
Then, as he continued his offseason training, Adames visited the Giants’ spring training facility in Arizona two weeks ago, where he met many of his new teammates, including player of Star third baseman Matt Chapman, that he will share the left side of the infield for years to come.
In fact, so many of his new Giants teammates were training at the organization’s Papago Park facility in Phoenix that Adames decided instead of leaving and returning for spring training in February, he would quickly return home him in the Dominican Republic, packed his things and would return to Arizona permanently, for the spring, to continue training and getting to know his new teammates.
His efforts to register within the organization did not stop there.
Adames, along with Giants teammates Camilo Doval and Jerar Encarnacion, visited the Felipe Alou Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic on Jan. 15 to welcome 17-year-old star prospect Josuar Gonzalez and the 15-player graduating class the organization has signed international contracts.
“It was great to be there for them,” Adames told NBC Sports Bay Area on Saturday at the Giants Fan Fest in San Jose. “It was great to see, obviously, the complex, but to get to know the guys there. Obviously, the young kids who just got signed, for those kids, it’s an important day. I was there when I was 16 in that position and I wish I had a big smooth on signing day, that would have been amazing.
“I wanted to give them that so they could enjoy that day and have a familiar face from the organization. I think it was just a great idea and when they asked me to leave I was like ‘yeah, sure.’ It was cool.
Adames Far and Away was the most popular figure Saturday at Fan Fest, and after spending the day interacting with fans at San Pedro Square, headed to San Francisco to watch a marquee game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center.
His time with the organization has been short, 50 days to be exact, but Adames has done just about everything he can to help recruit star players, build relationships with current teammates, and provide support to the next generation of hometown talent.
“It’s been great. A little settled, comfortable with everything that’s going on at the moment. But it’s been amazing, I can’t complain. Obviously super excited about this opportunity being here in this organization,” Adames explained. “It’s like a dream, waking up every day, trying to realize that this happened in the last month and a half. Trying to live with it, trying to get used to it.
His next assignment with the organization will be on the field, where he hopes to prove himself worthy of the team’s historic financial commitment they made to him this offseason.
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