ST. PETERSBURG, FL — He’s known as "the kid," but last season, he grew up a lot.

Last May, the Rays called up their No. 2 prospect, Willy Adames and he made a quick impression. In his second at-bat, Adames hit a solo shot off Chris Sale. He became just the fifth Rays player to homer in his MLB debut.

Across 85 games in Tampa last season, Adames hit 10 home runs. But there were also ups and downs for Adames, who had three different stints with the Rays last season. His biggest disappointment was his play on defense.

"Trying to get that consistency on my defense, you know, been working a lot on my defense because I think that’s the thing I have to work on the most to stay in the big leagues this year,” Adames said.

The 23-year-old shortstop has put in the work this offseason and now, it’s time to show that it’s paid off. Adames has had a solid spring, but he’s aiming even higher for the regular season. Not just for himself, but for the entire team.

"We have a pretty good team, everybody’s excited coming into this season,” Adames said. “And you know, that’s the thing that is helping me to stay motivated and trying to come every day with the most energy I can.”

There’s no doubt that Adames brings energy and a lot of optimism that the Rays have the talent in place to build on their 90-win season.

"Everybody over here is excited, they can’t wait to, you know, start the season because we come in with a lot of motivation with those 90 wins last year and you know, everyone came ready to play,” Adames said.

Adames is ready to play and he’s also ready to put in as much work as needed to help the Rays win.