Brewers: Omar Narvaez Bright Spot in Milwaukee Lineup

When Omar Narvaez was acquired via trade last offseason from Seattle, the Milwaukee Brewers expected that they were getting a very good hitting catcher but also someone who struggled a bit defensively. However, as we all saw as the shortened 2020 season unfolded, Milwaukee actually got the exact opposite—or at least for that season, they did.

Prior to 2020, Narvaez had posted a career batting average of .276 over his previous four years of experience with a .772 OPS and an OPS+ of 111. He would also log 34 home runs during that span, with 22 of them coming in 2019. But while he was known for his bat and offensive prowess, Narvaez was also known as being very poor at framing pitches. Well, that was until he got to Milwaukee.

Last season we saw Narvaez make a remarkable turnaround defensively, ranking in the 100th percentile in framing by Baseball Savant after never ranking above the 29th percentile in his previous three years. He also went from -18 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) to +2—again, quite a significant turnaround.

But as good as Narvaez was behind the plate, he struggled just as much offensively. His batting average was just .176 for the season with a .562 OPS and an OPS+ of 53.

Now, Narvaez certainly wasn’t the only batter to struggle in 2020 in what was a very unusual year, but considering the type of bat that we thought was coming to Milwaukee, it was a disappointing start to his Brewers career—at least from an offensive standpoint.

However, here we are on May 20th of the 2021 season, and Narvaez’ 2020 performance seems like a distant memory as he has been one of the very few — and I mean very few — bright spots in this Brewers’ lineup.

As a team, the Brewers currently rank 29th in team batting average, 27th in OPS, and 26th in total runs. Pretty much pick any major offensive category, and they will be near the bottom. But that rule does not apply to Narvaez, who has been on fire this season.

In 99 plate appearances, Narvaez is slashing .369/.455/.524 for a .978 OPS with a ridiculous OPS+ of 170. He’s also hit three home runs, logged four doubles, has a walk rate over 11 percent, and a strikeout rate of 15.2 percent—the lowest of his career since he debuted in 2016.

Many of his underlying numbers look particularly good as well. According to Baseball Savant, Narvaez xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and K% are all ranked among the best—although I will note that his hard-hit rate and average exit velocity are well below league average.

On top of that, he’s also still performing quite well defensively, with his pitch framing ranking in the 88th percentile and +2 DRS, according to Fangraphs.

There’s no question that watching this Brewers offense this season — especially recently— has been difficult, but as was the hope, Narvaez has rebounded from his poor 2020 season, perhaps even better than what most anticipated. Let’s hope a few others are able to turn things around as well.