Milwaukee Brewers: Early Reactions To Jacob Nottingham

An injury to Manny Pina led to catcher Jacob Nottingham making his major league debut.

Nottingham is the Milwaukee Brewers 27th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He got a brief taste of the MLB, but now that Pina is once again healthy, there is no room. When Stephen Vogt returns, the situation will become even more complicated. But, there is little doubt that Nottingham will find his way back to Miller Park.

The sample size may be small, but it is still enough to get a peek at the Brewers future backstop. A couple of poor seasons in Double A suggest he might still need some work at the plate, though he is swinging well at Triple A so far this year.

How Did He Play?

When I say small sample size, I mean seven plate appearances. This is hardly enough to make any sort of long term judgement about Nottingham’s future, or even his readiness. However, what can be done is give immediate reactions to his first few games.

The patience that Nottingham displayed at the plate was impressive. He drew two walks in his limited at bats. Unfortunately, he did not get a hit. Nottingham did not look overmatched; he struck out only once while seeing 34 total pitches in his seven trips to the plate.

Defensively, Nottingham looked very strong. He handled himself well behind the plate and looked pretty comfortable. In his short time as the Milwaukee Brewers backstop, he was responsible for a 0.2 defensive runs saved.

When Will He Be Back?

It is hard to truly say when he will be back. Between Pina, Jett Bandy, and the soon-returning Vogt, there is not a lot of room. The team did prove that a couple injuries puts Nottingham right in the running for playing time behind the dish.

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Hopefully by next season there will be more room for Nottingham. He is the future behind the plate, and he showed he is not too far away from being ready. With a few more at bats, the offense might have come around a bit more. This is likely not the last we see from him in 2018, but he may not resurface until September.