Article: Revisiting the State of the Farm – Second Base

[Harold Hutchison]

Somewhat surprisingly, second base has been in flux for the Brewers this season, and the same has been true for them down on the farm. When we previewed the position, a lot of talent was noted. That remains the case, but the picture has been shaken up a bit since last we painted it.

Image courtesy of © Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Brice Turang, Owen Miller, Andruw Monasterio, and Luis Urias split a lot of the playing time at the MLB level. Turang, Monasterio, and Urias all have spent time in Triple A. But the wealth of talent extends further down the system. Let’s take a look.

Nashville Sounds

The primary second baseman for Nashville has been one-time Olympian Eddy Alvarez, who has played well enough to warrant consideration for a 40-man roster spot, with an .867 OPS and some serious speed on the basepaths (16-for-18 in steals). Noah Campbell, Josh Van Meter, Abraham Toro, Keston Hiura, Urias, and Cam Devanney also have put in time at second in Nashville, and any of them could contribute for the MLB team over the short term.

Biloxi Shuckers

In the spring, it looked like the Shuckers would have a logjam at second between Felix Valerio, Ethan Murray, and Tyler Black. That isn’t so much the case, mostly because Black moved to the hot corner, but Valerio and Murray have been decent at second base, with 2020 second-round pick Freddy Zamora also seeing time there.

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Robert Moore has followed up his dominating turn in Brisbane with a solid season. He's one of only seven Timber Rattlers to have a batting average above .230. He’s also led the team in walks and doubles, while tying with two other players for second in homers. Jose Acosta and Eric Brown also have seen time at second in Appleton.

Carolina Mudcats

While Jadher Areinamo has been the primary second basemen for the Mudcats, posting a .266 batting average, Gregory Barrios, Jheremy Vargas, and Daniel Guilarte have also seen time at second, with Guilarte demonstrating amazing OBP skills. Most of these players are also flashing speed on the basepaths, with Barrios and Guilarte tied for second on the Mudcats with 16 steals each (as of July 4).

ACL Brewers

Dylan O’Rae and Jonatan Guzman have split the playing time at second base, with O’Rae showing incredible OBP skills (.478) and speed (14 steals in 14 tries as of July 4), putting him at the top of the pack among the ACL squad at the position. Guzman, Miguel Briceno, Nev Serrano, Jose Caballero, and Juan Baez also have seen time at second in 2023.

DSL Brewers One

While Jhon Benscome has seen the most playing time at second base, Joan Gutierrez, Luivin Alastre, and Kevin Ereu have also seen action at the keystone. The latter three are all flashing OBP skills, with Alastra adding the ability to hit for average to the mix.

DSL Brewers Two

The second Brewers DSL squad has multiple standouts at second base. Roderick Flores, Filippo Di Turi, Pedro Ibarguen, and Luis Lameda are all posting OBPs above .400 as of July 4. Each of them has also spent time at other positions, whether it’s the outfield, third base, or shortstop.

Overview

To say the Brewers have a wealth of options is putting it mildly. If anything, the realities of roster space mean some of these players will likely make it MLB, but on another team’s roster, hopefully as the result of a trade to bolster the Crew elsewhere.

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