Milwaukee Brewers Spring Training highlights

We are a couple of weeks into Spring Training and if you’ve missed anything up to this point, here is what you need to know about your Milwaukee Brewers.

Having already played ten games this Spring Training, the Milwaukee Brewers find themselves with a 3-7 record, but this time of the year wins and losses are irrelevant. What matters are the performances we are seeing from individual players and perhaps the most important thing is staying healthy.

Coming off of a season where the Milwaukee Brewers made it all the way to game seven of the NLCS, there are a lot of expectations on this team in 2019. But it is a long road back and it all begins here at Spring Training, so if you’ve missed any of the action, here are some highlights.

Christian Yelich is still our MVP

What else is there to say about Yeli? Coming off of an MVP season where he practically carried this Milwaukee Brewers team in the month of September, he hasn’t missed a beat in Spring Training. In seven plate appearances thus far, he’s posted a .571 batting average, along with a 1.174 OPS and a home run.

Mauricio Dubon can’t catch a break

In 2018 while in the midst of a 23 game hit streak, Dubon would end up tearing his ACL and eventually miss the remainder of the season. After working incredibly hard during the rehab process, Dubon ended up spending four nights in a Pheonix area hospital and lost 15 pounds! He has since rejoined the ball club and is feeling much better.

Hernan Perez is playing much better since wrist surgery

Unknown to anyone outside of the Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse, Perez played last season with a wrist injury that eventually required surgery. It would appear that the surgery helped as he has found his power, hitting three home runs and has a slash line of .286/.286/.1000.

Josh Hader is still dominant

At this point, I’m not sure how much of a news flash this statement is, but the consistent domination we see from Hader is amazing. In one inning this spring, Hader struck out all three batters he faced. Put this man in bubble wrap until Opening Day!

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Chase Anderson is still giving up home runs

The long ball was quite troublesome for Anderson in 2018 as he was tied for giving up the most in the entire NL. So far, he has already given up three home runs in six innings pitched. However, he did pitch three scoreless innings in his previous outing against the Cubs, but even then, there were a number of hard-hit pitches.

Solid start for Corey Ray

After being named the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Player of the Year in 2018, Ray is looking to carry that momentum to Triple-A this season, and so far is off to a good start. He’s found some power hitting two home runs along with four RBIs, and has an OPS of 1.017.

Bobby Wahl tore his ACL

Wahl was sent over from the New York Mets in the Keon Broxton trade as another option out of the bullpen. Wahl can throw in the upper 90s and while he may not have been on the team right out of camp, he would have been a factor this season. However, after tearing his ACL while throwing home, he is now likely done for the year.

Slow start for Hiura

All eyes are on the Milwaukee Brewers number one prospect but it has been a slow start for Hiura this spring. In 15 at-bats he’s posted a slash line of .200/.333/.600, but at this point, we know what Hiura can do at the plate. However, this is a good example of why he should spend some time in Triple-A before taking over the starting role at second base.

Milwaukee’s young pitchers

The Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation has been taken over by Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, and Corbin Burnes, all of which have pitched this spring. Woody has thrown one inning, allowing three walks but no earned runs. Freddy has also pitched one inning of work and allowed no hits, no runs, and no walks. Lastly, Burnes has seen the most action, throwing 2.1 innings and allowing seven hits, five earned runs, and two home runs.

Cain and Braun are taking it slow

As is their preference at this point in their careers, both Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun like to approach Spring Training at a slower pace. So far Cain has had only four at-bats including one hit, while Braun hasn’t taken any.

Jimmy Nelson takes the mound

While he is yet to take the mound in a game, Nelson did pitch against live hitters for the first time this spring.

Moose and Grandal

It is always fun to see the team’s newest free agent acquisitions take the field. Mike Moustakas has gotten off to a fast start this spring, recording a slash line of .556/.636/.1.111, along with a home run over nine at-bats. Unfortunately, Yasmani Grandal hasn’t had the same start at the plate but we have seen his ability as a pitch framer on full display which is going to benefit the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff greatly this season.

Josh Tomlin struggles in his debut

Tomlin is a veteran right-hander that the Milwaukee Brewers acquired this offseason and many are hoping he turns out to be the 2019 version of Wade Miley. But his debut in a Milwaukee Brewers uniform was a rough one. He allowed six runs in the first inning, including four doubles and two home runs. Luckily, Tomlin settled down and was able to throw a few scoreless innings afterward.

Arcia’s issues at the plate

After a fantastic end to the 2018 season and a solid winter down in Venezuela, Arcia was hoping to carry that momentum into the new season after a slow start in the previous one. While there is no reason to panic, Arcia has struggled at the plate thus far posting a .167 batting average and a .481 OPS. Hopefully, he can turn it around.

There is still plenty of games to be played in Spring Training and there is no point in getting too high or too low on anyone or anything at this point, but there is plenty that we should be keeping our eyes on as this should be another exciting season for the Milwaukee Brewers.