Can the Brewers justify Logan Schafer anymore?

If there’s one player that I question among the rest on the Milwaukee Brewers, Logan Schafer is at the top of my list. Almost four seasons now he’s had a chance to break through and become maybe not a starter, but a solid back-up option if needed, and has yet to deliver.

Schafer hasn’t stood out at all in his major league career, so I’m inclined to believe he may be stuck in this rut.

The Brewers have been known in the past couple years for their potent outfield, but what happens if there’s a major injury? Are we really going to continue let Schafer get at-bats and be one of, if not, the least productive bats in the line-up? In his career, Schafer has had chances to step forward and be someone the Brewers could rely on in case of an emergency, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Schafer does have one upside and that would be pinch hitting. For his career, Schafer has a .300/.321/.400 slash line when pinch hitting, albeit 15 hits in 50 at-bats, but it’s pretty much the only redeeming quality besides his glove in the outfield. So really, what do the Brewers have in Schafer? A glorified pinch hitter who can occasionally flash some leather in the outfield. That just doesn’t cut it for me.

I understand Schafer is a back-up, so he may not get as much time to beef up his stats as say Ryan Braun or Carlos Gomez. Still, Schafer is hitting .194/.284/.306 this year, coming off of a 2013 in which he hit .211/.284/.306. At this point, I seriously wonder how Caleb Gindl hasn’t taken the back-up job and how Schafer is still on the team.

There’s not really a whole lot of upside with him and anymore, it feels like he’s just occupying a spot without a purpose. Can he hit? Barely. Can he field? Sure. I don’t want to seem like I’m ripping on him because I know I could never be a major leaguer, so props to Schafer for actually making it there. That’s a dream nearly everyone has when they’re little and so few get to fulfill it.

What I’m saying is I think it’s time for the Brewers and Schafer to go in separate directions. Maybe he’ll be a fit somewhere else, but not here anymore. Schafer doesn’t have what it takes to be a starter and he’s barely functioned in a back-up role. I don’t know how much longer he has in Milwaukee, but I can’t imagine it’s too long of a stay.