Milwaukee Brewers: Why is Quintin Berry on the roster?

The Milwaukee Brewers DFA’ed pitcher Aaron Brooks and added outfielder Quintin Berry to the roster. Berry isn’t a prospect. Why is he up with the team? There’s actually a very simple reason why the Brewers have Berry on the roster right now.

Quintin Berry has spent all of 11 games of his professional career with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Of those 11 games, Berry spent 10 with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in Triple-A. The Brewers also have several dynamic, young outfielders in the pipeline. They have Brett Phillips already up with the team. What could they possibly see in a 32-year old journeyman?

How can Berry help the Brewers?

Quintin Berry owns a .265/.336/.368 slash line in parts of five seasons at the Major League level, so he’s not here for his bat. He is with the Milwaukee Brewers for two very specific reasons.

First, Berry is here because he has experience at all three outfield positions and can field reasonably well. Secondly, Berry has attempted 28 steals in his Major League career. He has succeeded in 27 of those attempts. He also has several 30+ steal seasons at the Minor League level. Berry is not only fast, but he also knows how to time pitchers and steal bases.

If the Milwaukee Brewers are down a run in the late innings with Jesus Aguilar or Eric Thames on first after a walk, Berry will get the call. Berry will draw attention at first, steal a base if it’s there, and run the bases intelligently in the late innings.

Phillips has speed, but he lacks experience. Berry has 11 years of professional experience. He’s seen just about every possible scenario and knows how to react properly. A rookie like Phillips isn’t the best option when the pressure is on in late September.

He knows how to use his speed to get into scoring position, and he can go first-to-third better than almost any player on the roster. Jonathan Villar probably has an advantage in overall speed, but Berry is the Milwaukee Brewers ‘designated runner.’

Next: Will Junior Guerra have a role with the Brewers?

If the Milwaukee Brewers succeed in their run to the post season, they’ll need contributions from everyone on the roster. Berry has a clearly defined role, and he’ll need to succeed when manager Craig Counsell calls on him for the team to claim the Wild Card or NL Central crown.