Milwaukee Brewers: Erik Davis Signs a Minor League Deal

For the third straight day there is news about the Milwaukee Brewers signing. However, this is another MiLB deal.

Yesterday, it was Mike Zagurski on a minors deal. Before that it was the alleged re-signing of Yovani Gallardo, which is pending a physical. Today, the Milwaukee Brewers sign Erik Davis a MiLB deal with an invite to Major League camp.

This looks to be a very good signing to bolster farm system, and possibly in Miller Park. Davis has almost nine innings in the Majors, playing for the Washington Nationals. He is 1-0 with an average of over 12 strikeouts per nine.

Other than that one stint in 2013, the 31 year old is a career Minor Leaguer. Last season he played in Triple A for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 53 relief appearances he went 8-2 while striking out over 10 per nine innings.

The one consistent issue with Davis is walks. For the most part, his walks per nine sit above three. Though he did not spend a ton of time in the MLB, his soft contact number was not good. His groundball stats hover around or over 50 percent.

His strikeout numbers are somewhat surprising considering his fastball is in the low 90’s. He relies a lot on his changeup to throw hitters off balance, but he will not be overpowering hitters as would be assumed.

Davis missed the entire 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. He came back very strong the year after, pitching most of the season in the Nationals Double A to the tune of an ERA in the two’s.

This signing seems very smart. If he can get his walks in check, there is no reason he could not help the Milwaukee Brewers bullpen at some point this year. However, all of the walks make him a questionable play in Miller Park.

Next: A Potential Deal For JT Realmuto

Regardless, the Milwaukee Brewers are at least starting to make moves. They made one MLB move, but still are waiting on a bigger one. Movement is good though. Making moves means that the chess game in GM David Stearns head is in motion.