Brewers: The 4 Biggest Roster Battles To Watch At 2023 Spring Training

Brewers spring training roster battle #2: Second base

Kolten Wong is out. A slew of new options are in.

With the steady veteran presence of Wong traded to Seattle, the Brewers appeared to be clearing a path for top infield prospect Brice Turang to get big league playing time. Willy Adames has shortstop locked down but Turang can smoothly transition to second base and hold down that position while he acclimates to the big leagues. However it won't be that simple for Turang.

The Brewers also acquired several players who can play second base and have prior big league experience. Owen Miller and Abraham Toro were brought in and incumbent veterans Mike Brosseau and Luis Urias all have experience at second base and could challenge for playing time at the position.

Miller and Toro are hoping that a new organization will help improve their offense. Although they have big league experience, their lack of overall success at the highest level leaves the door wide open for Turang. Urias wasn't able to build off of his strong 2021 season last year and could bounce around the infield and play a lot of third base. Brosseau was a utility option last year and may not be suited for an everyday role.

While the Brewers have several players to cover the spot, the one with the best chance to lock down an everyday job remains Turang. He's a first round pick that's coming off a career year and really has nothing left to prove in Triple-A. Miller, Toro, and Brosseau are utility types. Urias will probably spend most of his time at third base.

Another thing working in Turang's favor is that he's the only left handed hitter of this group. Toro is a switch hitter, which may help his chances of making the roster. If the Brewers opt for a platoon at second base, Turang is the only left handed choice and he'll likely bring more offense than Toro will.

In all likelihood, the Brewers will go with a mix of players at second base, but the leader in the clubhouse has to be Turang. He has the highest ceiling and likelihood to play everyday at the position. He may begin the season in a platoon as the Brewers ease him into the big leagues, but if he continues to hit, it'll be difficult to not pencil him into the lineup every day.

The Brewers didn't trade Wong to clear the deck for Owen Miller and Abraham Toro. They did it for Turang. But it'll all depend on how spring training goes. The job isn't his quite yet. He has to go out there and earn it and fend off players with big league experience. Fans should be watching Turang and the several other second base candidates very closely this spring as this battle unfolds.

Brewers spring training roster battle #3: Utility infielder

The Brewers let their previous utility infielder Jace Peterson walk in free agency this offseason and sign with the Oakland A's. Mike Brosseau also handled some utility duties last season as well. Now Peterson's old job is up for grabs.

The Brewers will need coverage at third base and second base and probably a little help at first base on occasion as well. Jace Peterson could play any spot the Brewers asked him to, including the outfield. With Brian Anderson in the fold, they may not need their next utility man to handle outfield duties, but it's nevertheless a very important job.

Mike Brosseau is bidding to move up into that role but he has competition from Abraham Toro and Owen Miller. Brosseau and Miller are right handed hitters while Toro is a switch hitter.

If the Brewers want to play matchups, a switch hitting Toro gives them an advantage. However, Toro has struggled to consistently make hard contact. He doesn't whiff much and puts the ball in play, but can't do damage and usually pops it up or beats it into the ground. When he does make hard contact, he can do some damage and has some power. If he can make some adjustments and hit the ball hard more often, Toro could be a sneaky good bat.

Working in Brosseau's favor is that he was with the team last year and was one of their best hitters against left handed pitchers, which was something the rest of the team struggled against. He filled in as the utility man last year when Peterson was hurt and did well. He didn't do anything to lose the job in that time, but it comes down to spring training now.

Owen Miller doesn't have a ton of power, but in his time in the minor leagues, he never had a season where he hit below .290 or a season with an OBP below .355. That on-base ability hasn't translated to the big leagues so far, but the talent is there. Perhaps being with his hometown team, the Fredonia native can turn things around at the plate. He can play every infield spot and is a solid defender.

All three of these players have minor league options. Brosseau may have entered spring training as the leader in the clubhouse, but not by a lot. He doesn't have a firm grip on the job and it'll be a battle between these three to earn the utility job. There may only be room for one of the three to make the team, although there's a chance two of them could make it, depending on what the Brewers decide to do with Keston Hiura. Speaking of...

Brewers spring training roster battles #4: Backup 1B

Rowdy Tellez has a firm grip on the starting first baseman job. He's coming off a career year and is poised for a bigger year with the ban on extreme shifts. The backup first base job is more of a toss up however.

Keston Hiura has been struggling for three years now. He hasn't found the magic that he had in his rookie year in 2019 and now he's out of minor league options. He's striking out 40% of the time and selling out for power and not getting enough of it. He's a defensive liability and limited to first base only or DH, but doesn't hit enough to be trusted as the DH. His roster spot is in peril and he's fighting to keep it this spring training.

Battling Hiura for his roster spot are non-roster invitees Luke Voit and Jon Singleton. They, too, are first base/DH only types. Singleton was added to the 40 man roster earlier in the offseason but then put on waivers as the roster took shape. He came back on a minors deal but the Brewers clearly saw enough in him to add him before. Voit, meanwhile, has had a lot of success at the big league level and is coming off a bit of a down year.

The 32 year old Voit has hit 20+ home runs in three of the last four seasons. He brings power from the right side and has the potential to hit for a solid average. Voit hit .263 in 2019 and .277 in 2020 before his average dipped the past two seasons.

Voit strikes out a fair amount as well with a career 28.5% K rate, but he's still around 10% lower than Keston Hiura's strikeout rate. Voit and Hiura have similar profiles in terms of the role they play but Voit has a longer track record of success at the big league level while Hiura does not. He fills the role better than Hiura on paper.

This will be a truly fascinating battle to watch. Hiura is the first round pick the Brewers were hanging a lot of hopes on. He had so much value and the Brewers held on, believing he'd come through and he just hasn't. Luke Voit has a track record of success and seems to be a good fit, but is a non-roster invite. To add Voit, they have to admit defeat with Hiura and cut their losses with him, allowing the talent they know is in there to leave, likely for nothing in return. These two can't coexist on the same roster.

Which direction will the Brewers go? It all depends on how these two guys play during spring training. Voit is the one without a roster spot yet Hiura is the one fighting not only for his current job, but potentially his career.