Brewers: 6 Key Players To Watch During Spring Training

Brewers to watch at spring training: Devin Williams

Devin Williams’ season-ending injury in 2021 left a bad taste in the mouths of many Brewers fans. It felt like a bad omen of things to come in the playoffs.

Though the loss of Williams was overshadowed by the Brewers’ weak offensive showing in the NLDS, it will be interesting to see how the injury—and public response—affects the young reliever in 2022 and if he can bounce back to his pre-injury performance.

Williams had another dominant season as setup man with the Brewers in 2021. He has also shown no sign of slowing down and is even developing a new pitch according to Adam McCalvy. However, Williams is another young pitcher in a high-pressure bullpen role. If the pressure to return to his previous success after his disappointing injury is too much for him to handle, he could fall into a slump.

It should also be noted that this Spring Training is our first chance to see if Williams’ hand has healed properly. Though David Stearns announced that there was potential for Williams to be ready in case the Brewers made it to the World Series, it’s possible that issues could linger.

Williams struggled to keep runners off the bases during his first outing on Tuesday, but he still seemed able to conjure his one-of-a-kind pitches. Brewers fans should watch his next appearances to see if he continues to dominate opposing batters.

Brewers to watch at spring training: Keston Hiura

Keston Hiura has had a rollercoaster of a major league career thus far. He was a boon on offensive when he arrived in June of 2019, slashing .303/.368/.570 for the remainder of the year. His numbers dipped severely over the next two seasons, the latter of which he put up a meager .168/.256/.301 slash line.

Hiura is looking to bounce back from a season that included three mid-season stints in Nashville. Coaches are hopeful this year that some swing adjustments will help his 2022 offensive stats resemble those of his rookie season. Brewers fans should be on the lookout this spring for Hiura’s shorter leg kick to see if it leads to better results at the plate.

So far, Hiura has 5 hits including two home runs in 10 at bats this spring. These numbers should be very exciting for Brewers fans. While it should be noted that pitchers are still finding their grooves during an abridged Spring Training, Hiura’s adjustments appear to be having a significant impact. If this small sample does turn out to be the new norm for Hiura, the Brewers’ offense will benefit tremendously.

As a bonus, fans should also keep an eye on Rowdy Tellez. With Andrew McCutchen arriving to fill the DH spot, Hiura and Tellez may compete with each other for opportunities at first base. While they could make a powerful righty-lefty platoon, if one starts to pull ahead, it could mean a reduction in playing time for the other.

Brewers to watch at spring training: Jace Peterson

A less-intuitive player to watch this spring is Jace Peterson. Peterson, who generally plays a utility role, was a reliable bat at times last season. Despite his flexible role, he could be an important player to watch due to Luis Urias’ injury. We don’t know exactly how long this injury will sideline Urias, so Peterson is one of the front runners to fill his spot.

Though there are other candidates to fill the vacancy, if Peterson is seeing the ball like he did at his high points in 2021, he would be the logical choice. Peterson, famous for his high OBP, may get the nod from Counsell who is ever-mindful of the value of putting the ball in play and getting on base.

Additionally, Counsell has worked with Peterson before and knows how to use him. For a preview of who may temporarily fill Urias’s vacancy, look to see if Jace Peterson is hitting his stride during Spring Training.

Brewers to watch during spring training: Christian Yelich

The biggest concern for the Brewers early on in the 2022 season is how to get Christian Yelich back to his All-Star status. It’s no secret that Yelich has struggled over the previous two seasons. After back-to-back MVP-caliber seasons in 2018 and 2019, in which he hit 36 and 44 home runs respectively, his contact and power at the plate have diminished significantly. His OPS dropped from an astonishing 1.100 in 2019 to a career-low .736 in 2021.

One reason Brewers fans can be hopeful is that Yelich will have a fresh start with new hitting coaches, Ozzie Timmons and Connor Dawson, this year. Perhaps their perspective may help kickstart Yelich’s bat. Another reason to be optimistic is that Yelich is confident in himself. He’s not fooling himself about his recent struggles and is determined to get back on track.

Brewers fans should watch Yelich closely this spring to see how comfortable he is at the plate. He hasn’t had an abundance of opportunities so far, but he does have 3 hits and a walk in 9 plate appearances. All of the hits have been for singles, so we haven’t seen the booming home runs or doubles to the wall that we’re used to, but it’s nice to see that he’s making good contact.

Even if Yelich can only bring back the offensive numbers he put up with the Marlins, where his slugging percentage was nothing special but his batting average hovered around .300, it would be a great benefit to the Brewers’ offense.

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While his early opportunities may be a good sign of things to come, nine plate appearances are not nearly enough to project Yelich’s entire season. So be sure to keep watching his at-bats this spring.