Milwaukee Brewers: Scenarios That Could Fix First Base

What are the available options?

Some key players other than Aguilar and Thames who could effectively play first base on the Milwaukee Brewers roster are Yasmani Grandal, Travis Shaw, Hernan Perez (not ideal, but he can play any position), and another person who could be an X-factor, Ryan Braun, who got some playing time at first base at the beginning of last year.

It would be surprising if Braun went back to playing first, but it would also be intriguing given the fact that it would give Ben Gamel some more well deserved time in the starting lineup. Gamel has been another great offseason addition along with Grandal and Mike Moustakas, and this would give him more at bats and fill the hole that the two first baseman are creating.

As far as Travis Shaw goes, he will be returning on the next homestand, but he was struggling mightily before his injury, and both Moustakas and Shaw’s replacement Keston Hiura are hitting well, so if you want Shaw to get some opportunities, you could put him over at first. This would not be surprising at all, and keeping Hiura in the lineup would be a plus, but Shaw, despite his past successes, currently has a lot to prove and show that he is going to be a consistent hitter again.

Is there a better option?

One great option would be Yasmani Grandal, as he has been a stellar addition to the Brew Crew’s lineup this season, and is in contention to be voted into the all star game given his numbers. In addition to his position of catcher, he is capable of playing first base, and given the current state of the team, Craig Counsell may consider giving him some time there.

After going 4-6 in the opening game in Pittsburgh, he has 12 home runs to go along with a .281 batting average, 1.2 WAR, and an impressive .922 OPS. Defensively, he has caught 48 out of 57 games, and played just one game at first. Lately it’s been all him at catcher due to Manny Pina being injured, and multiple team off days that allowed him to not be in need of a personal day off. He will get relief soon though, as Pina is set to return during this series in Pittsburgh.

Offensively, the Braun at first strategy is better than Grandal/Pina, as Pina has just six hits in 45 at bats this season, and is also a base running liability with his lack of speed. However, there are two aspects of Grandal playing first that help the Brewers: Keeping Grandal’s bat in the lineup when he needs an off day from catching, and more importantly, Pina’s defense from the catcher position.

Why put Grandal at first?

Grandal’s biggest flaw by far is his blocking, and it has been a problem so far this season. Other than his pitch framing, which is excellent and has been a help to the pitching staff, his defensive game is nothing to write home about.

Pina on the other hand has a rocket for an arm, a quick pop time when throwing runners out, and is very good at blocking.

Having Pina in there for defense is a plus, and late in games, particularly late in the season and potentially in the playoffs, you could see Pina come in to make sure no crucial defensive mistakes are made, it would allow Pina to make an impact on the game without leaving a hole in the lineup.

Right now though, a solution needs to be had at first base, and I think a lineup that has Pina catching and one of Thames/Aguilar at first needs to be avoided. Pina can be a capable hitter, but his defensive ability along with allowing Grandal to be in the lineup every day could allow the Milwaukee Brewers to put up with him getting more at bats.

Whatever Counsell decides to do, I don’t anticipate that he can continue to roll out Aguilar and Thames for much longer given the continued struggles they’ve been having.

If one of them goes on a home run binge, great, that’s what they were supposed to be doing, but the numbers being put up from the position now are not good enough for this team, and there are multiple ways to go about fixing it.

For the Milwaukee Brewers, having production out of the first base position is crucial, and they just haven’t gotten it so far.