Brewers: 3 Infield Free Agent Targets That Make Sense

3 of 3

David Stearns and Craig Counsell love infield depth and versatility on their roster. Here are 3 players who the Brewers could look to add.

The Brewers have a need for additional infielders. The super utility players such as Hernan Perez, Jonathan Villar, Jace Peterson, Brock Holt, have been on the roster before, and have received considerable playing time.

With Keston Hiura a lock at second base, and some combination of Luis Urias, and Orlando Arcia manning shortstop, the Brewers have gaps at first and third base to fill in their infield.

Here are three infielders who have experience all around, and would be valuable assets for the Brewers to add.

Marwin Gonzalez

Marwin Gonzalez is back on the free agent market. He spent two years with the Twins where he played first base, second base, and third base, and right field, and the previous seven seasons with the Houston Astros.

Throughout his career, Gonzalez has appeared at every position except for catcher. While never known for his offensive prowess, he is reliable, with a career wRC+ of 99, and he is looking to come back from a wRC+ of 66 in 2020. He had an exceptionally low BABIP in 2020, only .241, which is far from his career average of .306.

Taking out an anomalous 2020 season, Gonzalez has been a solid contributor throughout his career, even producing 0.2 fWAR despite his offensive struggles. Another plus surrounding Gonzalez is his switch hitting ability. Craig Counsell likes to play the match ups, and having a switch hitter is an additional plus.

Despite his struggles in 2020, Gonzalez is very consistent as a switch hitter. His career triple slash against a right handed pitcher is .261/.321/.411 (OPS of .732). Against a left handed pitcher, Gonzalez slashed .261/.307/.416 (OPS of .724).

Outs Above Average is a relatively new stat for infielders. It measures the impact of all plays the fielder is credited with, and allows for a conversion of outs saved to runs saves. In 2020, Gonzalez ranked in the 94th percentile, with an OAA of 4.

Gonzalez is projected to be worth 0.6 fWAR according to FanGraphs, which is in line with his production for 2020. He has experience all over the infield, and is a switch hitter who can be plugged anywhere in the lineup and in the field. David Stearns should be in contact with Gonzalez.

Brad Miller

Brad Miller did spend time with the Brewers back in 2018, after he was traded for Ji-Man Choi. Miller appeared in 27 games, slashed .230/.288/.378 and produced -0.2 fWAR with the Brewers. With Milwaukee, he appeared as the infield utility man, playing first base, second base, and shortstop. He appeared in all other positions except for catcher in his time with the Mariners, Rays, Phillies, Indians, and Cardinals.

Miller could fill the Jedd Gyorko role on the 2021 roster, playing mostly at either one of the corners and filling in with solid offensive production.

Miller has a career wRC+ of 102, and had an exceptional 121 wRC+ in 2020, as he spent most of his time as the DH of the Cardinals. He slashed .232/.357/.451, and a wOBA of .349.

Miller’s red hot statline is also reflected in his MLB percentile rankings. His Hard Hit % was in the 73rd percentile, his expected Slugging percentage was in the 77th percentile, and his Barrel % was in the 87th percentile.

In the second half of 2019, Miller barrelled 14.5% of the balls he hit with the Phillies, and 13.4% with the Cardinals in 2020. That is far more than his career barrel% of 7.9, and as he plays his age-31 season, it is difficult to expect him to keep up the elite barrel%.

Different projections project different results for Miller in 2021, however Depth Charts and Steamer both agree, he will likely return to production more in line with his career totals, with Depth Charts projecting him to be worth 0.7 fWAR, and Steamer at 0.5.

Miller is a lefty, which Stearns and Counsell have an affinity for. Lefties also tend to play well in Milwaukee. If he would want to come back to the Brewers is the question. But if he does, Miller could be a viable option for the Brewers.

Hanser Alberto

Hanser Alberto was a surprise non-tender by the Orioles at the start of the month and is another interesting option for the Brewers. At 28, Alberto is one of the youngest players with infield experience on the market, and with only four years of service time, Alberto would be under team control through 2022.

Alberto appeared primarily as a second baseman for the Orioles but did see time at third base, and throughout his career with the Rangers and Orioles, he appeared at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and right field.

He is a right handed hitter, and he hits well against left handed pitchers. In 2020, he slashed .375/.396/.521 for an OPS of .917, with a 146 wRC+. Against right handed pitchers, he slashed .257/.278/.357, for an OPS of .635, and a wRC+ of 70.

For most teams, a talent such as Alberto would not hit the market, however the Orioles general manager, Mark Elias stated the decision was due to the team having to “[operate] within the economic framework of the collective bargaining agreement and the quirks of the arbitration system”.

The MLB Percentile Rankings show that Alberto does not have much power. He was in the 1st percentile for exit velocity (82.3 MPH), Hard Hit % (20.2%), and Walk % (2.2%). He also was in the 3rd percentile for Barrel% (1.0%).

In 2020, defense was not Alberto’s strong suit, as he was in the 6th percentile for Outs Above Average, worth -3. However, in 2019, he was in the 91st percentile.

Alberto has great bat to ball skills, but no power. He was worth 0.6 fWAR in 2020, and Depth Charts and Steamer both project him to be worth 0.7 fWAR in 2021. Alberto is quite young, and was projected to earn anywhere from $2 to $4 million.

With past defensive versatility across the infield, and contact skills, Alberto may be an option for the Brewers to consider as a bench piece who could see considerable time at third base or second base.

Next. Could The Tampa Bay Rays Be A Good Trade Partner?. dark

These are just a few options that could fit in for the Brewers across the infield either in a starting role or in a utility role. The Brewers have a number of different directions they could go.

Home / Brewers News

David Stearns and Craig Counsell love infield depth and versatility on their roster. Here are 3 players who the Brewers could look to add.

Marwin Gonzalez

Brad Miller

Hanser Alberto

Schedule