Keon Broxton: The Next Gomez?

When the Brewers traded Jason Rogers to the Pirates in the middle of December, I wasn’t expecting to get much in return. It’s not that Rogers isn’t a good player in his right, but he’s limited defensively as strictly first basemen.

In return, the Brewers received a pair of (surprise!) younger players: Trey Supak and Keon Broxton.

Rated the best athlete for three years in a row in the Diamondback system, Broxton has a unique set of skills. He can steal bases, hit for power, and has been impressing the coaching staff with his defense in center field this Spring.

For his minor league career, Broxton has a slash line of .253/.333/.410. For comparison, Gomez had a minor league slash line of .278/.340/.395. While Gomez was rushed to the big leagues (and it should be noted that he was always young for the level he was at), by the Mets, Broxton has been allowed to hone his skills at the minor league level.

While he’s a bit of a free swinger like Gomez, he has better plate discipline. For all his strengths, Gomez has always been below average at taking a walk. Broxton’s minor league career high walk % of 12.8 is already higher than Gomez ever achieved.

More from Reviewing the Brew

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• Brewers: Yet Another Huge Promotion For Top Prospect Jackson Chourio
• Brewers Making Colossal Mistake With Corbin Burnes’ Contract
• Which Players May Be In The Final Month Of Their Brewers Careers?
• Brewers: Where Does Devin Williams Stand In NL Reliever Of The Year Race?

Trey Supak was the name prospect the Brewers received from the Pirates (rated 15 in their system), but it’s Broxton that gives the most excitement. If given the starting job this year, I believe he has a chance to become the next Gomez. My hope is like we did with Gomez, we give him time to develop and to struggle through his issues, both as fans and coaches.

Only time will tell.