Willy Adames is considered the face of the San Francisco Giants, especially after receiving the richest contract in team history. As the team approaches Brandon Belt Celebration Day, discussions about leadership within the team have intensified.
Apr 6, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the third inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
The concept of a team captain isnāt all that important and fans will typically project their favorite player as the face of the franchise, but with Brandon Belt Celebration Day just 12 days out, it got me thinking, āWho is the captain of the Giants?ā Like, if we had to pick and Tony Vitello wasnāt an option (sorry, Tony!), who would it be?
When Netflix and Major League Baseball promoted Opening Night, it was Aaron Judge and the Yankees take on Rafael Devers and the San Francisco Giants. Frequently, national broadcasts will default to Matt Chapman as the teamās leader when discussing the state of the organization. But neither of those players performs or carries themselves in such a way that you would automatically think, āHeās the face of the team.ā That distinction goes to Willy Adames.
Maybe all of this goes without saying as heās the recipient of the richest contract offered in team history, but other factors make a compelling and straight forward case for the Giantsā shortstop.
Weāll start with superficial because this is a good factor. Heās smiling at least half the time the camera catches him and his face always lights up when he does, which means heās an electric screen presence. Not only someone you want to watch, but someone you seek out. Thatās a great quality in a marquee player and a leader.
Should this discussion even matter when the team is trying to claw back to relevancy? Sure, why not? Itās early enough in the season to still make predictions and over the summer the team will need leadership to get through the rough patches. Cutting to Adames smiling as the team runs off the field during a half inning is a simple pleasure we donāt have to overthink and neednāt overlook.
When the Giants signed him, Susan Slusser gathered quotes from former coaches and teammates as well as Matt Chapmanās intel gathering about him and the consensus is that he makes everyone around him better when heās not being a model player himself.
āI couldnāt be more excited,ā [Chapman] said. āNo one has a bad word to say about him, and I love the way he goes about his business. He plays the right way, he plays for the teamĀ ā he has a lot of the qualities Iād like to think I have. He wants to set the tone every day, too.ā
They selected him to be the 2025 Willie Mac Award recipient. In the offseason, he traveled with Tony Vitello ā who he nicknamed Rookie ā to South Korea to partner up with Jung Hoo Lee for some cultural immersion and Giants propaganda.
The trip was also a pretty big signal that the team loves him, too. Heās a great Giants ambassador.
Adames has been as much of a help to his teammates by simply being a positive guy as he has a leader by example. The Giants hadnāt had a 30 home run hitter since 2004. He did it by playing in 160 games and overcoming a horrendous start to the season (.680 OPS in the 1st half, .828 OPS in the 2nd half).
Longevity is a factor in this, I think, and even though Rafael Devers is signed through 2033, we have to take the work already done to this point. Matt Chapman has been the quiet performer. Devers is the aloof talent guy. Adames is a merging of the two personalities.
After slaying the 30 home run drought monster, heās still got some things left to do in his career. Despite receiving MVP votes in 2021 and 2024, he has never been named to an All-Star team. As Steven Kennedy noted in his player review, āDisappointing might be an apt way to ultimately describe Adamesās first year as a Giant, but it wasnāt a disappointment.ā Heās already off to a great start in year two, playing in all 16 games and hitting a league-leading 9 doubles to go with a pair of homers. A triple slash of .258/.313/.500 ā fantastic if he can sustain it over a full season (he probably wonāt as heās never slugged .500 in a full season), but mainly, itās heartening to see after a career where heās been notorious for slow starts.
Heās been a fantastic addition to the Giants roster as well as its culture. The exact shot in the arm the team has been looking for in its post-championship wandering through a desert of mediocrity. Willy Adames might just lead them back to the land of success.
But if Buster Posey cornered you in an elevator at Oracle Park or if a beat writer solicited your feedback for a piece they were working on and demanded you name the teamās captain, who would you select?
Willy Adames received the richest contract in San Francisco Giants history.
Willy Adames is viewed as the face of the Giants due to his leadership qualities and significant contract.
Matt Chapman is frequently mentioned as a leader when discussing the Giants' organization.
Brandon Belt Celebration Day is approaching, prompting discussions about who the captain of the Giants is.
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