6 Position battles that are up for grabs at 2024 Brewers spring training

Every year, there are roster spots and starting jobs that are up for grabs in spring training. The 2024 Brewers are slated to have several openings as the roster has turned over quite a bit from last season's end.

Gone are Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser, Tyrone Taylor, Rowdy Tellez, Jesse Winker, Mark Canha, and Carlos Santana. Joining the organization is Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, Oliver Dunn, Rhys Hoskins, Joe Ross, Eric Haase, and Jakob Junis.

While several players may have roster spots all but secured, their roles are not. Could they be a starter or will they be a backup? That's what spring training will help decide as these battles play out.

These are the six biggest roster battles for Brewers fans to watch in spring training 2024.

1. Third Base

Incumbent: Andruw Monasterio
Challengers: Tyler Black, Joey Ortiz

The hot corner has been a big need for the Milwaukee Brewers for a while. Last season, Andruw Monasterio came out of seemingly nowhere to earn regular playing time at that spot down the stretch. Josh Donaldson was also brought in late in the season but he remains a free agent.

Monasterio showed solid contact skills in 2023, but he lacks the power profile you'd like to see from a starting third baseman. The Brewers didn't bring in a veteran to take over the job and instead will let a pair of prospects challenge for at-bats at the position.

Tyler Black is one of the Crew's top hitting prospects, and he put up monster numbers last season across Double-A and Triple-A. GM Matt Arnold stated Black was in consideration for the third base job this offseason and if he continues to hit like he has been, it'll be difficult for him not to get the job. Black posted a .930 OPS last year with 18 homers and 55 stolen bases. He has power and speed as well as excellent contact skills and strike zone discipline.

Joey Ortiz is another top prospect that put up huge numbers in the upper minors last season. Although he doesn't have near the power or speed projection that Black does, he's a superior defender on the dirt and would be competing for the shortstop job if Willy Adames wasn't entrenched there. The Brewers have prioritized defense in the past which could give Ortiz a leg up in this battle.

Monasterio has reportedly shown up to spring training with a lot more muscle this year, perhaps with the goal in mind of adding more power to his game. If he's going to hold off these highly regarded prospects for an everyday job, he'll need to make that a bigger part of his game, but there's also the potential for Monasterio to earn the utility infield job because of his ability to play shortstop.

Ortiz and Monasterio are both on the 40 man roster while Tyler Black is not, which puts Black at a bit of a disadvantage, but there's always plenty of 40 man movement throughout spring training and Black is one of the Crew's top prospects. He'll be put on this roster soon enough, but he'll have to prove he's ready for one of those spots on Opening Day to win this battle.