Milwaukee Brewers: Spring Training Position Battles

The trucks have left Milwaukee and are heading to Arizona. Pitchers and catchers will follow on February 13th. Spring Training is about to start, and the Milwaukee Brewers should have several key position battles to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

While the Milwaukee Brewers have a pretty good idea of who will head north for Opening Day in late March, several key positions need to get settled. How will the starting rotation shake out? Who gets bumped to the bullpen? How about the bench? Is the starting second base job still up for grabs? These questions still need to get answered before the first pitch of the 2019 season is thrown.

What happens at second base?

A combination of Hernan Perez, Cory Spangenberg, and Tyler Saladino will make the 25-man roster. Or all three. Or a current unsigned free agent will get added to the mix.

The only news that’s been confirmed about the Milwaukee Brewers second base situation is that prospects Keston Hiura and Mauricio Dubon won’t make the 25-man roster.

The best case scenario right now, is that the Brewers add Derek Dietrich, and pair him with either Spangenberg or Perez. Dietrich provides the versatility the Brewers have come to love, and he’s a better option at the plate than any of the current options.

However, he does need to be paired with a hitter capable of handling left-handed pitching. Dietrich posted a .274/.342/.420 against righties last year, but only managed a .227/.283/.423 slash line against lefties. Perez managed a .783 OPS against lefties last year.

At this point, it’s far more likely that the Milwaukee Brewers go with a platoon at second base rather than anoint a full-time starter. Perez and Spangenberg should get the majority of the playing time, unless there’s an addition to the roster.

How about backup catcher?

Yasmani Grandal should start at least 120 games behind the dish, but the backup role still needs to be decided. Manny Pina has the inside track on the backup catcher job, but Erik Kratz or Jacob Nottingham could stake a claim if there’s an injury or Pina gets off to a rough start.

Pina has been lauded as a great clubhouse guy, and has proven to be capable behind the dish after spending a long time working his way through the Minors. Pina managed a .702 OPS in 98 games last year, and appeared to be overburdened by the every day job.

Grandal’s signing takes the pressure off Pina, and allows him to take on a role that he’s better suited for.

Nottingham is likely ticketed for Triple-A, while Kratz will have to decide if he wants to go back to the farm, find another team to catch on with, or shift to a coaching or scouting role.

What about the bullpen?

Well, Josh Hader, Corey Knebel, Jeremy Jeffress, and Alex Claudio are locks for the 2019 25-man roster.

After that? The situation gets murky. The Milwaukee Brewers will probably start the season with at least 12 pitchers on the 25-man roster. Five are expected to be starters, and four were just named. That leaves three additional spots for relievers or starters who don’t make the rotation.

Depending on how the Brewers construct their Opening Day roster, there might only be one or two spots left for the rest of their pitchers. Jacob Barnes will likely claim one spot, and Matt Albers is under contract for 2019, and should stake a claim to the other. It would take an absolute disaster of a Spring or an injury to push Albers off the roster.

Junior Guerra is also expected to contend for a bullpen spot. If the Brewers have 13 pitchers on the Opening Day roster, Guerra is completely safe. If it’s only 12, he could end up back in Triple-A to start the season.

Names like Taylor Williams, Aaron Wilkerson, Bobby Wahl, and Jake Petricka are also on the 40-man roster, but need an impressive Spring and an injury or two to work their way onto the 25-man roster.

The fact that the Milwaukee Brewers have so few positions up for grabs is a sign that they’re in contention. The roster could still use a few upgrades, but the major construction is done. The Spring is the time for GM David Stearns to figure out what he has on the Major League roster, and there aren’t a ton of decisions that need to be made. The Brewers could use a better option at second base, and they could always add an elite arm, but those additions are more likely to occur near the trade deadline than they are right now.