Brewers: 3 Surprise Hitters Who Performed Better Than Expected in 2023

Player #3: INF Andruw Monasterio

Andruw Monasterio has been one of the more feel-good stories for the Brewers this season. After spending his first nine professional seasons in the minor leagues, Monasterio finally got his first crack at big league action for the Brewers back in May, and he's made the most of his opportunity.

Monasterio served as the replacement for Willy Adames back at the end of May when Adames hit the 7-day injured list with a concussion. The promotion felt like a temporary replacement, and it was anticiapted that Monasterio was going to have his cup of coffee at the big league level before being sent back down to the minor leagues once Adames returned to the lineup.

However, that did not end up being the case, and Monasterio has remained on the big league roster ever since being brought up from Triple-A Nashville on May 27th.

Monasterio hasn't necessarily been the Brewers' MVP this season, nor does his stat line fly off the page as an overly impressive one. However, for a guy who wasn't expected to make any sort of impact at the big league level this season, Monasterio deserves his flowers for being a valuable contributor for the Brewers for a majority of the 2023 season.

In 296 plate appearances this year, Monasterio is hitting .268, which is the third-highest batting average on the team (min. 250 PA). He doesn't bring a whole lot of power to the lineup, but he has been above average in several important offensive categories, and it has yielded him success at the plate this year.

Monasterio has done a great job at commanding the strike zone, especially as a rookie. He has been impressive at laying off pitches outside of the strike zone, as his chase rate of 22.1% is far-better than the league average number of 28.5%. On top of showing good plate discipline, Monasterio has posted solid bat-to-ball numbers as well.

According to Baseball Savant, Monasterio's whiff rate of 21.7% is well-above the league average number of 24.8%. Additionally, he is also posting an above average zone contact rate of 83.3%. Therefore, it's no surprise to see Monasterio walking at an above average clip (9.5%) as well as striking out at a rate better than league average (20.9%).

He might not be exceptional at any one specific thing, but Monasterio has been good at doing what the Brewers needed him to do- work pitch counts, produce quality at-bats, and put the ball in play when necessary. The 26-year-old has had more of an impact this season than anyone could have anticipated, and he has stepped-up in a big way for the Brewers this season.