2024 Milwaukee Brewers Positional Preview: Designated Hitter

[Ryan Pollak]

After covering all the positions, it's time to cover the one bat in the lineup that doesn't have a defensive position. How can the Brewers use their ninth bat in their batting order?

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

With Carlos Santana and Mark Canha gone, the Brewers are trying to figure out how to use their designated hitter throughout the season. Just about anyone can fill that role on the Brewers roster. After a long offseason of searching for power bats, one late edition, though it took a long while for it to be made official, can provide a pop to a lineup that can use one.

The Starter: Gary Sanchez

2023 Stats: 75 G, 267 PA, .217/.288/.492, 19 HR, 113 OPS+ 1.7 WAR, 111 wRC+, 7.9% BB, 25.1% K

2024 Projections: ZiPS 105 G, 393 PA, .214/.305/.432 20 HR, 1.6 WAR, 98 wRC+, 9.9% BB, 28.5% K.

Baseball-Reference: 381 PA, .216/.297/.429 18 HR 9.1% BB, 26.2% K

After a two-week saga of wondering if the potential deal fell out, the Brewers signed one of the better-hitting catchers of the free agent market, Gary Sanchez.

The hold-up in finalizing the deal was a wrist injury he suffered last season when he was hit by a pitch. As far as we know, the injury has completely healed but has since re-aggravated while working out. The Brewers will take one small step at a time with Sanchez, and we may see his first spring appearance later in the month.

 

Sanchez is the definition of a designated hitter. If given the chance, he can hit 20+ home runs. He has done so four times in nine seasons, the most recent being in 2021. Last season, he came up short of that mark by one, but he only played in 72 games. Sanchez is a man who can provide power to the lineup.

Sanchez’s barrel percentage (15.5%) and hard-hit percentage (44.6%) he recorded last season suggest he knows how to launch the ball. He has found some success in the middle but tends to swing at pitches on the low outside corner. Remember, the designated hitter is supposed to be an additional bat in the lineup that would bat instead of a pitcher. I would take Sanchez over a pitcher.

With William Contreras getting most of the reps at catcher, Sanchez will have to play the role of DH to get his opportunities. If the Brewers want to take advantage of his power, he’ll need to be the designated hitter. That may open the opportunity to get Eric Haase on the opening-day roster, but that is an article for another day.

Other Options
We all knew the Brewers had a plethora of decorated outfielder prospects cooking in their farm system. Well, now all of those prospects are MLB-ready, causing a decent roster jam. So, how does Christian Yelich fit?

To max out efforts from all outfield, Yelich could fit in as a designated hitter, allowing Jackson Chourio, Joey Wiemer, Sal Frelick, and Garrett Mitchell to get at-bats and play the field. With Frelick getting reps at second and third base, there is a possibility that all five of the outfielders are in the same lineup.

Yelich was a former Gold Glove winner in 2014 and was recently nominated for another in 2022. However, he isn’t getting any younger, and his arm could be argued as one of his weaknesses on the field. Keeping him off the field could prevent him from getting injured or sitting out a few games.

The younger outfielders are more than capable of winning a Gold Glove of their own in the near future, so good defense won’t be lost on the field. Rookies and one-year veterans can learn from more experience, and sending these players down because there’s “not enough room” won’t exactly help them develop.

If Chourio plays as advertised (.282/.338/.467 in MiLB in 2023), Frelick continues his hot start to his career, and Mitchell fully bounces back to his form (.278/.343/.452), then it will be hard to keep any of these guys out of the lineup. Yelich at DH gives the Brewers a chance to include all of them.

Jake Bauers is an interesting choice for the Brewers, as he’s out of minor-league options. He can play the corner outfield and first base positions. His bat, on the other hand, seems a little suspect. His best season was back in 2018, when he made his MLB debut with the Rays. Even still, his .201 batting average, .700 OPS, 94 OPS+, and 97 wRC+ don’t scream power-hitting DH.

But how else will he get reps and prove to the team he belongs here? With Rhys Hoskins being the regular first baseman and three left-handed outfielders ahead of him in the depth chart, he would seem like a back end of the bench player.

If Hoskins opts out of his contract next season, Bauers is the frontrunner for the first baseman job. Sure, Tyler Black and Wes Clarke should be on his heels next season, but Bauers has now become the veteran presence. The Brewers found something in Bauers. They'll have to give him more opportunities to bring out the potential they see in him, like in the DH spot.

The Big Questions
The biggest question is how good Sanchez's wrist is. While he did sign a more incentivized deal with the Brewers, the team seems high on the former Yankee. While he can provide power, he still has a career .225 batting average, which doesn’t exactly sound like a consistent bat in the lineup.

While he may be healthy, we are not sure if there will be lingering effects on his hitting. They may use Sanchez as a regular DH if they go as planned to have three catchers on the 26-man roster. Giving him the role of DH does mean less time on the field and more time to focus on his hitting. However, the team can’t afford to have a bat near the Mendoza line like they had in Jesse Winker last season.

Should Sanchez show signs of regression and the team still wants to use a regular DH, there are other affordable options on the free agent market the team can pursue. Adam Duvall, J.D. Martinez, and Evan Longoria are all options with career batting averages similar to Sanchez's. Maybe the team should go back to how they’ve used the DH.

As Pat Murphy takes over this team, it makes you wonder how he will utilize the designated hitter role in the lineup. Over the last few years, the Brewers have used the role to give players a day off on the field.

Yelich, Contreras, Santana, and Canha had their reps at the DH spot. It’s a good way to keep a hot bat in the lineup while not having to go out on the field and take a toll on their bodies. It also helps showcase all of the young talent the team could have off the bench.

A rotational DH gives players like Bauers, Sanchez, Weimer, and others who may ride the bench throughout the season more chances to play the field, while hotter bats need a day off. There are advantages to having a regular DH as that one individual can focus on just hitting rather than taking the field. But even those regulars must be ready to play should somebody go down with an injury.

The team has many minor league players who could be ready to make their debuts this season. The aforementioned prospects Black and Clarke could find themselves on the 26-man at some point. I’m not saying Brock Wilken and Luis Lara are going to have astronomical rises to the big leagues this season. But this team has enough depth that a different DH can work every day.

It’s hard to judge what Murphy will do with this lineup. But if it isn’t broken, why try to fix it?

How would you like to see the Brewers use the DH role? Do you think Sanchez will have a decent chunk of time at the DH? What other players could you see play DH this season? Let us know in the comments.

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[eddiemathews]

Looking at Sanchez' projections, I wonder if the Brewers gave any serious thought to keeping Hiura.

[sportsquestionmark]

1 hour ago, eddiemathews said:

Looking at Sanchez' projections, I wonder if the Brewers gave any serious thought to keeping Hiura.

With all of the trash spaghetti they threw at the wall last year instead of trying Hiura, I doubt it 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Just now, sportsquestionmark said:

With all of the trash spaghetti they threw at the wall last year instead of trying Hiura, I doubt it 

Welcome to Brewer Fanatic!

[groyce]

A left and right side platoon makes some sense at DH. A hot bat plays again tomorrow. Sanchez/Yelich as the primary names with Contreras, Hoskins and others to follow. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

4 minutes ago, groyce said:

A left and right side platoon makes some sense at DH. A hot bat plays again tomorrow. Sanchez/Yelich as the primary names with Contreras, Hoskins and others to follow. 

Welcome to Brewer Fanatic!

[Sugarrayray]

I really will be disappointed if guys like Bauers, Haase, and Taylor Clark in the bullpen make this team. They are not good big league players, and I can’t stand the thought of them taking playing time away from all the young talent the Crew has.

It surprises me how many people think Haase will make this team even if Sanchez is healthy - Sure Sanchez will be the primary DH but as pointed out in this article they prefer to rotate at the DH, and he will also be the backup catcher. They acquired Haase long before they knew they were going to get Sanchez. Just like they acquired Bauers long before they had Hoskins.

They may also give Hoskins time at DH, especially early in the season to ease him back in to every day form.

[Underachiever]

Remember, the designated hitter is supposed to be an additional bat in the lineup that would bat instead of a pitcher. I would take Sanchez over a pitcher.

If "hit better than a pitcher" is where you start the bar for a DH, that is too low by far. Come on. 

[Fear The Chorizo]

On 3/12/2024 at 8:58 AM, Underachiever said:

Remember, the designated hitter is supposed to be an additional bat in the lineup that would bat instead of a pitcher. I would take Sanchez over a pitcher.

If "hit better than a pitcher" is where you start the bar for a DH, that is too low by far. Come on. 

the unfortunate thing is, that has been the bar the Brewers have used to dedicate a roster spot for a DH ever since it became available for NL teams.  

I despise how the Brewers view the DH role with a 26 man roster on a team that puts too much emphasis on defensive versatility....last season Winker was a bounceback candidate in a salary exchange trade that sent Wong to Seattle, and it was a trainwreck.  Now they Sign Sanchez to likely fill this role hoping he's healthy enough to produce average at best production for a DH, while other everyday DH options were (some still are) available via free agency.  To me it kind of feels like deja vu all over again.  Maybe one of these years they catch lightning in a bottle and the veteran bat they bring in to fill this role has a season where he logs 400+ productive plate appearances....I've stopped holding my breath until that happens, though.

Yelich and Contreras can certainly snag some at bats at the DH position, sure....which then inserts weaker offensive position players at their primary positions during that particular game and still weakens the lineup compared to signing a legit everyday DH that would further improve lineups with Contreras at C and Yelich at LF, and maintain depth on days that either of those players may actually need a day off without playing at all.