Brewers: 3 Non-Roster Invitees Who Could Make The 2021 Roster

Relief pitcher and former All-Star Brad Boxberger is another veteran presence that can help the Brewers down the stretch.

Boxberger was signed over Valentine’s Day weekend and another player with a minor league deal and big league camp invite. He has a career 3.56 ERA and has 77 career saves.

He was an All-Star in 2015, and has been a relief pitcher and closer over his nine MLB seasons. He had 41 saves with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2015, and 32 for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018.

Much like Zimmerman with the starting pitchers, Boxberger would be a great veteran presence for Milwaukee’s similarly young bullpen. Players like Eric Yardley, Justin Topa, and Drew Rasmussen have not played a full MLB season yet. Primarily a fastball and changeup pitcher, his style would be another unique approach to the current bullpen. Since most of the bullpen players that aren’t locks already have multiple options besides Ray Black, Boxberger stands a good chance make the roster.

Boxberger is coming off of a decent 2020 season with the Miami Marlins. He pitched 18 innings and ended with a 3.00 ERA. After a difficult season in 2019, if he continues and adds on his success of last season, this will be another amazing and sneaky signing by David Stearns.

Blaine Hardy is coming off Tommy John surgery and missed the 2020 season. Can a fresh start help the Brewers with middle relief innings?

Blaine Hardy could easily complement Brent Suter and Freddy Peralta with a similar bullpen role. Hardy does have 13 starts under his belt, but was primarily used as a reliever during his six seasons with the Tigers.

He signed with Minnesota Twins after becoming a free agent, but did miss the entire 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and was released. He signed a minor league contract with the Brewers in late January.

Hardy has a career 3.73 ERA and a 14-10 record. He also has a recorded save. His 2019 season was also affected by injuries. In 2018, he pitched in 30 games and all 13 starts of his career were that year. He ended 2018 with a 4-5 record and 3.56 ERA. It wasn’t super impressive, but a sub-four ERA over 86 innings pitched is nothing to scoff at.

The left-handed Hardy doesn’t give up a lot of home runs, and uses a combination of a slower fastball, cutter, curveball, and changeup. The only thing holding him back is that he might be too similar to Suter. A slower velocity left-handed pitcher that come in after your starter or a starting pitcher if needed. Again, if he has an impressive Spring Training, I can see him getting a shot over other younger arms like Drew Rasmussen or J.P. Feyereisen.

Having multiple veteran lefties in the bullpen is never a bad idea. Suter’s speedy delivery is a lot different than Hardy’s, so switching them up with Peralta if he isn’t starting would be confusing for hitters. I believe Milwaukee’s bullpen should be the best in baseball this year.

Honorable Mention goes to veteran infielder/outfielder Jace Peterson and top infielder prospect Brice Turang.

I didn’t include these two players because while they have a chance to make the roster, a lot would need to happen before they did. Peterson was on the roster last year for the Brewers, but there seems to be too many players ahead of him to make it. Daniel Robertson, Mark Mathias, and Tim Lopes are all more likely to get a spot.

But never say never. If Spring Training is near the end and all of a sudden there are player setbacks or injuries, Peterson could slide up. Peterson could also have a hot bat and glove during March. It doesn’t mean he will stay there, especially since players like Mathias and Lopes have multiple options remaining.

Brice Turang is in a similar, but not identical spot. As the Crew’s top infield prospect, the excitement to see Turang’s big league debut is there, and he’s close to big league ready. Orlando Arcia and Luis Urias are battling at shortstop while Kolten Wong and Keston Hiura are the options at second. Should injuries ravage either of those positions, Turang may be the best option to go with given his high ceiling.

Turang is the Brewers’ top prospect besides Garrett Mitchell. He recently made Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects at No. 88. At the alternate training site last season in Appleton, he was the arguably the Brewers best hitter there.

The left handed hitting Turang is expected to be a patient hitter and could average around 15-20 home runs a year if he maximizes that power. He’s not a power hitter, but he could be an offensive upgrade over Arcia/Urias down the line. I still believe Arcia and Urias will be great players for this team, but it’s good to know that a top prospect is right behind them and almost ready.

If Turang has an impressive spring and continues to hit, he might have a shot at the opening day roster and get his first couple of MLB at-bats. It doesn’t mean he will be up all season, but it doesn’t hurt with lots of players having multiple minor league options left.

There is a good chance he won’t. It’s mostly the excitement about having a top prospect up in the big leagues this year. And if not on Opening Day, you might see him come September.

The Brewers haven’t had the most exciting offseason, but there are a lot of things on this roster to be excited about. There is a chance that multiple minor-league contract players this year will make a big splash in the majors for Milwaukee.