Milwaukee Brewers: Keon Broxton gets sent down

The Milwaukee Brewers have just announced that outfielder Keon Broxton has been sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs.

This is coupled with the move to add Eric Sogard to the Milwaukee Brewers after activation from the disabled list.

Broxton had been struggling a lot recently, getting just three hits in his last 50 AB. These struggles contributed to his overall .218 batting average, including 124 strikeouts. The most strikeouts out of any player in the National League. He also has just a .294 OBP and a .725 OPS.

Despite his struggles, Broxton does have 14 home runs this season, including the longest home run ever recorded in Busch Stadium. However, he was really hurting the team with all his strikeouts, and not being able to get on base.

Another area of success for Keon was his defensive and stolen base ability due to his speed. Broxton has 17 stolen bases, which is the most on the team. And he has made multiple highlight plays in the last few weeks. However, his replacement (for now), Brett Phillips, is very talented defensively as well. So the Milwaukee Brewers wont lose much in that facet of the game.

What Broxton’s demotion means is more playing time and opportunity for younger outfield prospects, such as Phillips. While Broxton was not starting, Phillips hit his second career home run last night in Philadelphia. He will most likely be getting a lot more playing time out in center field.

It could also potentially mean an opportunity for top prospect Lewis Brinson is coming up. Brinson was with the team for a while, and did not fair well, but he has been tearing it up in Triple-A since then. He could be on his way back up to the big leagues soon.

This is a very significant move for a team that is in playoff contention. Broxton has been the starting center fielder for most of the season, and has made key contributions. He is also a very energetic guy who is very much liked among his teammates. His struggles were just apparently too much for the Milwaukee Brewers to continue to deal with.

Next: Eric Sogard, the X factor

Broxton’s speed, and energy brought to the clubhouse may be missed by his teammates and fans. However without his strikeout problems, the Brewers may be able to score more runs without relying on the home run, and by getting more guys on base. Also, there is nothing saying Broxton wont be back with the team at some point, he just needs to figure out how to get on base more. And strike out less. Then he could be back with the big league team.