Milwaukee Brewers: David Stearns’ 5 best moves in first year
By Tim Muma
Trading a limited-potential pitcher for a player with Villar’s numbers is the top deal for the Milwaukee Brewers’ David Stearns thus far, especially factoring in current production and future value.
Some die-hard baseball fans, including myself, thought Jonathan Villar would be a solid piece with some upside as a switch-hitting infielder with speed. No one could have expected what he actually provided in 2016.
With a week left in the season, Villar leads MLB with 59 stolen bases to go with his .366 OBP and .803 OPS. He started the year as the club’s shortstop, then switched to a utility role at second and third upon Arcia’s call up.
It’s hard to complain about a guy you acquired for almost nothing being able to post the second-best WAR on the team (3.3).
Villar’s defense and base running has been frustrating at times, leading baseball in errors (29) and making a high number of foolish errors on the bases. His aggressive, high-intensity style gets him in trouble in these areas.
He’s shown off some power that few knew he had. Villar has 16 home runs and 35 doubles to help boost his slugging percentage to .437.
Overall, it’s hard complain about a guy you acquired for almost nothing being able to post the second-best WAR on the team (3.3). Only Ryan Braun has had a greater value this season (4.4).
At 25 years old and under team control until 2021, the Brewers are in the driver’s seat with how they handle Villar.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with hanging onto a guy with such a diverse skill set offensively and defensively. If he sticks at second base next year, that’s terrific value at that position.