A Hall of Famer, Willy Adames and boxing lessons

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MILWAUKEE -- Hall of Famer Barry Larkin has been a big Willy Adames fan since the day Adames showed up at one of Larkin’s offseason workouts in Florida. In fact, one of Larkin’s favorite images of Adames is not with a bat or a baseball glove, but sprawled on the floor wearing boxing gloves and a layer of sweat.

To help Adames become a better hitter, Larkin taught him how to box.

“Willy would go as hard as he could possibly go until exhaustion,” Larkin said, wrapping an arm around Adames when the Brewers’ last road trip took the team to Cincinnati. “He was absolutely dead. But the reason we did that was it reinforces some of the things you do as a hitter.”

Listening to Larkin explain that is a joy. He talks angles and maintaining balance, how the motion of a baseball swing from start to finish parallels a jab, cross, hook combination for a boxer. The key, Larkin says, is being rotational with the lower half while staying linear with the upper half. When the elements move together correctly, a hitter is able to deliver maximum power in the same way a boxer does.

“Isn’t that amazing?” Larkin said.

Adames is one of the handful of players who have trained at what former big league infielder Dee Strange-Gordon dubbed “B-Lark University” near Larkin’s then-home in Orlando (he’s since moved to Miami). Adames was there in the 2018-19 offseason after making his Major League debut with the Rays.

Among Larkin’s other notable alumni is Francisco Lindor, though the program is not just for shortstops. Outfielder Carlos González and current Brewers DH Jesse Winker are among the other attendees.

“Jesse Winker learned to hit the inside pitch by sparring with me,” Larkin said. “It was just because so many elements of boxing relate and translate to baseball.”

Adames was a quick study.

“Willy, his passion and his willingness to work his tail off -- when I got him with those boxing mitts, it wasn’t pretty. It was fun, but it was ugly,” Larkin said.

“I was hurting,” Adames said through laughter, “but it was fun. Every day, I feel like we were waiting to go there and work out and practice because it was so much fun. We were learning and working hard at the same time.”

Adames still credits Larkin with being one of his biggest influences in the game, so chances to connect in person are cherished. That’s easy every time the Brewers visit Cincinnati, since Larkin provides color commentary for Reds home games.

“The thing that impressed me about Willy so much was his enthusiasm for the game,” Larkin said. “I do a lot of international work because I feel like international players have a more concerted passion to play the game of baseball. Less distraction. Less opportunities, right? Baseball is it. I love that passion because that’s how I felt. That’s what impressed me about Willy when Willy came to our program.”

The admiration is mutual, to say the least.

“It was just a pleasure to pick his brain, to go there and work out with him,” Adames said. “It was incredible. You learn a lot, but the most important thing you take from him is just confidence. You leave the camp with your confidence in the sky. …

“He helped me in every aspect of the game. Not just defensively, but offensively and the mental side of the game. I got way stronger than what I was.”