Milwaukee Brewers: Scenarios That Could Fix First Base

The Milwaukee Brewers duo of first baseman, Jesus Aguilar and Eric Thames, have been incapable of getting it going offensively so far this season. The expectations were high, especially for Aguilar, but the platoon that they have going with both of them is, overall, not working well on either side.

Jesus Aguilar was an All-Star for the Milwaukee Brewers last season, and was an MVP candidate in the first half, but this season, despite some points where you thought he might break through, he has not gotten into a consistent rhythm. And the fact that he’s not even playing against righties shows it.

He has just three home runs (all in one series, two in one game), 25 hits in 132 AB’s, and an abysmal .587 OPS.

Eric Thames, on the other hand, has not exactly taken advantage of the unexpected opportunity given to him with Aguilar’s struggles. There have been points where he’s come through with a big hit, but mostly it’s been a non-impactful season for Thames.

One of the things he is doing well is drawing walks, as he is already very close to the amount of walks he drew all of last season in much less games. However, in terms of production, he isn’t getting the job done.

Who has been more effective in 2019?

Out of the two, Thames has done the better job, and that’s why the platoon began rather than just having Aguilar be the regular starter, but if neither of those two are getting the job done, there’s no reason to settle due to the fact that there are multiple other good options for the position.

Due to these struggles from both players, and the fact that the Milwaukee Brewers have guys who can play multiple positions, there are ways to adjust the team that could fix this problem. The Brewers have also shown that they are willing to sacrifice defense for offense, and that is easier to do at first base than other positions.