Brewers: 2021 Report Card Grades for the Crew’s Infield

The Milwaukee Brewers infield saw a dramatic makeover from 2021 Opening Day to the end of the regular season. And despite that turnover, its members were able to provide enough firepower to help the team reach its fourth consecutive postseason.

In the end, that firepower wasn’t sustainable enough to prevent the Brewers from avoiding an early exit from the playoffs. Still, all across the diamond, there were players who excited and players who disappointed.

That said, here are our report card grades for the Milwaukee Brewers infielders for the 2021 season.

First Basemen

Rowdy Tellez: 112 wRC+, 0.4 fWAR, .814 OPS, 7 HR, 174 PA

A midseason pickup, Rowdy Tellez endeared himself to the fans of Milwaukee with legendary moments.

Tellez rebounded nicely from his struggles in Toronto, and ended up putting together a 112 wRC+ in his 174 plate appearances with the Brewers. Though he is unlikely to win any Gold Gloves or accolades of the sort for his defensive performance, Tellez is the latest in the Brewers’ endless carousel of first basemen to make his mark.

Armed with a solid eye, and lots of pop, Tellez turned into a great option in his half-season with the Brewers, even after missing a chunk of September with a right patella strain. Could Tellez be the answer at first base? That’s yet to be seen, but the 26-year old made a strong case to be given a chance to hold down the spot in the future.

Final Grade: B+

Daniel Vogelbach: 101 wRC+, 0.1 fWAR, .730 OPS, 9 HR, 258 PA

Despite missing time with a left hamstring strain, Daniel Vogelbach appeared in 93 games for the Brewers. Unfortunately, the results for Vogelbach were not as good as they were in the 2020 season.

Vogelbach was league average based on his offensive production this season (wRC+ of 101, OPS+ of 97), and he was “Wally Pipp’d” out of the first base platoon. Vogelbach does have quite a lot of power, and a good eye for pitch recognition, he just was not able to get it going this season.

With no options remaining, and a potential logjam at first base depending on what the Brewers decide to do with Tellez and Keston Hiura, Vogelbach may find himself as the odd man out when the non-tender deadline comes around.

Final Grade: C

Keston Hiura: 52 wRC+, -0.7 fWAR, .557 OPS, 4 HR, 197 PA

It is difficult to imagine a more trying season than the 2021 season that Keston Hiura had. His mom battled cancer throughout the season, and he seemingly lost all ability to hit. His ability to hit was lauded throughout his minor league career, so the sudden drop off was quite alarming.

Even down in the minors, Hiura’s struggles at times remained present.

The front office seems to still have faith in Hiura, but he could see time as a multi-positional player this coming season. They haven’t given up on him, nor should they. He still is a talented player, but there is perhaps no one looking forward to the calendar to turn over than Hiura is.

Final Grade: D-

Middle Infielders

Kolten Wong: 109 wRC+ 2.9 fWAR, .783 OPS, 14 HR, 492 PA

Perhaps the only knock against Kolten Wong this season is that he was injured for a chunk of the season. Wong was a Gold Glove finalist, and set career highs in wRC+, home runs, wOBA, and was just under his career high in OPS.

Kolten Wong was able to adjust and become more aggressive this season, which saw him thrive offensively and continue to match his elite defensive output as a human highlight reel, even though he ultimately somehow got snubbed for his third straight Gold Glove award.

Wong is under contract for the 2022 season, and has a club option for 2023, so fans will continue to see Wong’s elite glove in the field next season. Expect to see Wong continue to slot into the leadoff spot next season.

Final Grade: A-

Willy Adames: 135 wRC+, 3.9 fWAR, .886 OPS, 20 HR, 413 PA

Willy Adames is very well the reason the Brewers ended up making the postseason. He seemed to provide a spark to the lineup that was missing, and the Brewers played well above .500 after he came over.

Adames was always a player with immense talent, ranking as high as the 11th overall prospect in baseball in 2018. He ended up playing to that level in part because he could see the ball much better in American Family Field than he did at Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay.

For the Brewers who were seeking a long-term solution at shortstop, Adames seems to be it. The original trade was seen as a panic trade by some, after trading Orlando Arcia away and eventually watching Luis Urias struggling, but it turned out for the best in Milwaukee.

Adames has a future in Milwaukee, and if 2021 was any indicator, the future will be very bright.

Final Grade: A