Milwaukee Brewers: The reason for hiring Mike Groopman

The Milwaukee Brewers had one thing in mind when they made the decision to hire Mike Groopman.

As the newest member to the international scouting department, Groopman will be using his analytic abilities to help the Milwaukee Brewers in the market around the world. Right now, there is only one player in mind. Shohei Ohtani, the prize of this offseason.

There will be roughly 30 teams vying for the attention of the Nippon Ham Fighters two way star. To stand out, or even to figure out if Ohtani is worth it, the Crew brought on Groopman. A smart move to bring him over from the Kansas City Royals.

Whether the interest be as intense as it is on the surface or not, the Brewers are looking at him. But like I said, so is every other team. Ohtani can hit with the best of them, and is a better pitcher. To say the least he is the most intriguing player on the market this winter.

Do the Brewers stand a chance?

In all honesty, does anybody? We don’t even know for sure if Ohtani is cleared to sign with an MLB team. If he can, due to restrictions of the CBA, he can’t be offered that much money. This is going to be a recruiting venture all the way through.

It may seem to enhance the Milwaukee Brewers chances for Ohtani, and to an extent it might. However, Milwaukee is not a popular free agent destination. So at the end of the day it may hurt the chances of the team.

How will Groopman help?

Obviously with the checking in on Ohtani. However, his prowess for analytic scouting will be great for international signings. A lot of these players are getting younger and younger, so being able to decipher numbers will make the whole process easier for the organization.

Projecting 16 year old players is not an easy job. But through a numbers based approach, it gets a little easier. For about a decade Groopman played a key role in the Royals analytic department, making him more than qualified for his new job.

Next: Lewis Brinson as a trade chip

Hopefully this new signing will help the future of the Milwaukee Brewers. If it ends with the team landing Ohtani, then that is even better. For now, it remains to be seen how Groopman will settle into his new role. But hopefully, he thrives.