Call to the pen
Fansided

Milwaukee Brewers: Eric Thames return muddies already dirty water

By Benjamin Chase

MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 20: Eric Thames #7 of the Milwaukee Brewers warms up before the game against the Miami Marlins at Miller Park on April 20, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Eric Thames
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 20: Eric Thames #7 of the Milwaukee Brewers warms up before the game against the Miami Marlins at Miller Park on April 20, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Eric Thames /
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Milwaukee Brewers
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 18: Jesus Aguilar #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on before the interleague game against the Minnesota Twins on May 18, 2018 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Brewers defeated the Twins 8-3. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Jesus Aguilar

Always a guy with tremendous raw power, Aguilar was acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers before last season off of waivers. He went on to hit 16 home runs over 311 plate appearances with a .505 slugging percentage.

Aguilar was always a guy who showed prodigious power in the minor leagues, but he never could seem to crack his way into the major leagues with Cleveland. He hit 140 minor league home runs over 9 minor league seasons along with another 48 over winter league time, but he couldn’t ever crack the major league roster for any extended time in Cleveland, amassing just 64 plate appearances over 3 seasons.

With Milwaukee, Aguilar was deployed as a bench bat and a short-side platoon 1B last season and thrived. He was placed back into that role to open 2018, and he saw things take off even further when Eric Thames went down with his original injury, opening up more time for him at 1B. He’s been one of the most consistent hitters all season in Milwaukee in 2018, with a .290/.361/.544 line with 11 home runs over 57 games. He’s even dropped his strikeout rate by nearly 5% from 2017.

The strikeout rate is where the big improvement against same-side pitching has been for Aguilar this season. He struck out in 31% of plate appearances against right-handed pitchers in 2017, with a 7.2% walk rate. In 2018, those numbers are a 28.5% strikeout rate, but also a 8.6% walk rate. While small improvements each, going from a 4.29 K/BB% ratio to a 3.31 K/BB% ratio is a big improvement.

Aguilar is almost exclusively a first baseman, though the Brewers have given him two appearances at third base this year, but he lasted a total of 5 1/3 innings at the position, so he’s obviously not a fit there for much playing time. He’s also a prime candidate for DH duties when the Brewers are in an American League park.

Next: Young OFs, Newcomer

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