PHOENIX – If the nasty temperatures and precipitation in the forecast for Milwaukee this upcoming weekend have you down, worry not (and not just because it will be in the 90s in Arizona all next week): Opening day is right around the corner.
The clubhouse at American Family Fields of Phoenix is getting less crowded and the Milwaukee Brewers are beginning to speak in more clear terms about their roster to begin the season. They are crystal clear signs that March 26 isn’t far away.
Here’s how we foresee the Brewers lining up on that afternoon as they take on the Chicago White Sox.
Projected opening day lineup
Catchers
William Contreras, Gary Sánchez
Manager Pat Murphy has flirted with the idea of carrying three catchers, but that seems like it’s still an unlikely prospect. Perhaps when Jeferson Quero shows he is more than ready to handle big-league pitching with the bat, this would be something the Brewers could do if Sanchez isn’t hitting. But for now, Sanchez is carrying a heavy workload of catching, which seems to indicate that the Brewers expect him to play his share of defense early in the year.
Plus, carrying three catchers would mean you’re playing Sánchez often at designated hitter, and Christian Yelich is going to slot into the lineup there nearly every day.
Infielders
Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Luis Rengifo, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn
This is cut and dried.
Carrying two first basemen leaves the Brewers a bit thin elsewhere on the infield, but that’s where Hamilton comes into play. His ability to cover every spot on the infield is reminiscent of Andruw Monasterio, who allowed the Brewers to carry only one true reserve infielder (backup first basemen excluded) nearly all season last year.
Outfielders
Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins
The only question left: Could Brandon Lockridge steal Blake Perkins’ roster spot? Lockridge is on the outside looking in as of now given how much the Brewers value Perkins’s defense, but it’s worth at least monitoring over the final two weeks.
Designated hitter
Christian Yelich
Yelich may still find himself in the outfield from time to time, but he spent very few days with a glove on his left hand when the Brewers had a healthy outfield picture.
Starting rotation
Kyle Harrison, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, Brandon Woodruff
Murphy announced Misiorowski and Patrick will be in the rotation to begin the season, and Woodruff appears to be on track to join them even if he may not pitch opening day.
With Quinn Priester heading for the injured list, that leaves two spots between Harrison, Sproat, Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, Shane Drohan and, to an extent, Aaron Ashby.
We’re taking the two young starters who have been most electric this spring.
Harrison’s work so far has earned him this spot. The results have been solid, but it’s the nature of the underlying elements that got him there that matter more. A new changeup expands his arsenal, he has commanded the ball decently and showcased the pure stuff that can get big-league hitters out.
In fact, Harrison’s spring has been so good that it may bump Sproat to the No. 5 starter for our exercise. What the Brewers have seen from Sproat, however, has still been better than any of the other options this spring. Add the fact the staff loves him and Sproat gets the final nod.
Relievers
Aaron Ashby, Grant Anderson, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Rob Zastryzny, Angel Zerpa
Zastryzny is maybe the toughest call here. It would be a surprise at this point to see Hall go to Class AAA Nashville considering the need for length options in the bullpen early in the year, so including Zastryzny makes the bullpen almost comically lefty-heavy with five southpaws.
Easton McGee would offer more left-right balance (as well as length) but we’re sticking with Zastryzny on account of depth.
The Brewers almost always prefer to maintain as much depth as possible coming out of spring, and Zastryzny has no minor-league options remaining to McGee’s one. Did Milwaukee really keep Zastryzny on the 40-man roster with no options left just to cut him at the end of March?
It’s possible, sure. But also not how the Brewers typically operate.
Ashby’s role could factor into the lefty-heaviness of the bullpen in the early going. He is listed here as a reliever, but the Brewers are stretching him out as a starter and it would not be a surprise to see him used in a starting or length role during the first two weeks.
Murphy has said he expects the team to carry a more traditional “long man” in the bullpen early in the season. Could that be Hall, who’s being stretched out for length this spring, in addition to Ashby?
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Projecting the Brewers’ opening 26-man day roster, starting lineup
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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