APPLETON, Wis. — Yes, baseball is a team sport. But if the Milwaukee Brewers are to return to the postseason this year, an offense that was MIA for much of last season needs to be found.

What You Need To Know

  • Pitchers and catchers for Brewers report to spring training Feb. 16

  • Prospects Sal Frelick and Brice Turang are expected to be called up at some point this season

  • The Brewers open the regular season March 30 at the Chicago Cubs

The belief is perhaps some of the team’s top minor leaguers can provide a much-needed punch, and Brewers manager Craig Counsell indicated Wednesday that they will get their chance.

“Yeah, I mean, I’m excited,” Counsell said at Fox Cities Stadium at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Hot Stove Banquet. “I think the position player group, it’s a place where we’re going to introduce, at some point during the year, some young players that are really exciting.

“I think Sal Frelick will make an impact on the Brewers this year. I think Brice Turang will make an impact on the Brewers. Garrett Mitchell made an impact at the end of the year last year. William Contreras is 24 years old. He’s already had an all-star game under his belt, and he’s going to make an impact on us this year. So, it’s an area where we’re getting younger, but we’re really excited about some of the talent that we have there.”

But they will need the veteran players already there to pick up the pace, as the Brewers finished 22nd out of 30 teams in batting average last season at .235. Outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who led the team in batting average at .255, was traded to the Dodgers. And Christian Yelich, who was second on the team with a .252 average, has had a precipitous fall from the MVP form he flashed in 2018 and 2019.

“Christian is in a great spot,” said Counsell. “He’s a great winner. And, you know, hitting is one of those things, unfortunately, where it can be a little elusive. He set a bar that was incredibly high. He did amazing things that were incredible to watch. He has not been able to get back to those heights thus far, but it’s in there and we’re gonna do everything we can to help him get the most out of them.”

Counsell said his biggest concern is the bullpen, where relievers Brad Boxberger, Taylor Rogers and Trevor Gott left through free agency.

“In the bullpen, we’ve changed over a lot of names and so, there’s going to be, like a lot of bullpens, there’s going to be some unfamiliar names,” he said.

“And that’s probably where we have the most work to do in spring training as far as understanding the talent level we have there."

“But you know, our team starts with starting pitching. And we’ve got good, to great, starting pitching and we’re going to rely on that group again to be a good part that helps us win games.”

He added the signing of free agent Brian Anderson this week was a key acquisition.

“That’s an important add for us because he provides us with a lot of versatility,” Counsell said. “He’s played third base, which is probably his primary position. But also played a lot of outfield. I believe those are incredibly valuable players and can fill in when things go wrong, or when there are injuries.

So, it was good. It was a late sign for us, but an important one.”

Regarding this year’s rule changes, Counsell said that while the elimination of the shift will be the most noticeable for the fans, it isn’t the most important one.

“It’s the pitch clock,” he said. “It’s going to be the most significant rule change. And that’s the rule change that I think is really going to hopefully impact the game in a positive way. Pick up the pace of the game. There’s going to be a transition phase for big league players for that, but I think, at the end, it’s going to increase the pace of the game. That should make it a better experience for fans.”

In a move that’s yet to be announced, former Timber Rattlers manager Matt Erickson, who served as the Brewers infield and assisting hitting coach last season, will have a slightly new role as the Brewers’ roving infield instructor.

“This year will be a little bit different role,” Erickson said. “I’ll continue to work with the big league infielders, but also at the back end of player development, working with infielders here in Appleton. It’s possible that our two of our picks (top pick shortstop Eric Brown Jr. and competitive balance-b selection shortstop Robert Moore) will be here. So I’ll spend most of my time between Appleton and Milwaukee, from my understanding, as well as taking trips to the rest of the affiliates.”

 

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