Milwaukee Brewers: Identifying offseason solutions to their infield issues
By Travis Koch
The infield was an issue for the Milwaukee Brewers on offense and defense last season. What can they do this offseason to guarantee improvement?
The Milwaukee Brewers managed to make the postseason despite having one of the worst offenses in MLB. While the dreadful production from their outfield figures to be a one-off, their infield strikes significant concern as the new season approaches. The Brewers cannot run out the same infielders next year and hope for better results. They must make changes – ASAP.
What options does Milwaukee have this offseason to invigorate their infield? We’ll detail those in just a moment; but first, we must identify the problems.
Problem #1: One-trick First Basemen
First basemen had their moments for the Brewers in 2020, but the team craves consistency at the position. Jed Gyorko played 42 games at first, and while his nine home runs and .838 OPS seem convincing, his splits reveal a distinct one-sidedness. Gyorko recorded a 1.048 OPS vs. left-handed pitchers but a .688 OPS vs. right-handers. His batting average dropped 31 points against righties, and his OBP dropped 122 points.
Gyorko likely won’t return to the Brewers as a free agent, which leaves Daniel Vogelbach as the top first baseman on their depth chart. Vogelbach found success with Milwaukee after being DFA’d by both the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays midseason. He slashed .328/.418/.569 and hit four homers in 19 games with the Brewers. His career-long inconsistency, however, is quite alarming. The fact that Seattle waived him a year after he knocked 30 home runs for them says it all.