Brewers: 3 Slumping Players Who Need To Step Up Heading Into Crucial Pirates Series

2. Willy Adames

Willy Adames is the heartbeat of this team. He brings energy, the infield defense revolves around him, and he's a focal point of the offense. Or at least he's supposed to be.

It hasn't been a great season for Willy Adames at the plate. He's hitting just .204/.283/.375 on the year. Sure he has 10 homers, but outside of the power, his numbers are down across the board.

When the Brewers first acquired Adames two years ago, he hit .285 with 20 homers, an .886 OPS, and a 137 OPS+ the rest of the way in a Milwaukee uniform. Last year, Adames slugged 31 homers, but dropped down to hitting just .238 with a .756 OPS and a 111 OPS+. He hit more homers, but overall regressed as a hitter.

Now this season his average, OPS, and OPS+ have continued to slide and while the power numbers are solid, on pace for 23 homers, they aren't good enough. His OPS is down to a sub-par .658 on the year.

The Brewers simply need more from Willy Adames.

He hits near the top of the order every day. He's in a run producing role, an impactful spot in the order. They're relying on him and he just hasn't been able to get it done. If Adames is going to get the contract extension that he wants or even the free agent contract that he wants, he needs to stop selling out for power and focus back on simply making contact and finding ways to get on base.

The downward trend was going on even before the injury from the foul ball. Over his last 30 games, Adames is hitting just .172 with a .218 OBP. For a key piece of the offense that's always hitting in one of the top few spots in the lineup, that's not good enough. Adames needs to step up.