The Cement is Setting on the Brewers Infield, and Once It Does, Don't Expect Any Jackhammering

[Matthew Trueblood]

The Brewers' manager is staying open-minded about the best configuration of his young infield, for now. It's almost time for choosing, though, and he doesn't envision being fluid with it once the decisions are made.

Image courtesy of © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pat Murphy knows life after Willy Adames will be different. The Brewers will have to align their infield defense differently, and that doesn't just mean the choice between sliding Joey Ortiz or Brice Turang to short to take Adames's vacated position. Fielder positioning has become such a fine art that the entire system of shading and manipulating player placement has to be redrawn after the departure of Adames.

"I think that’s always the case. You take what you have, and you go, ‘Ok, we have to make this little adjustment. He doesn’t go as good to his backhand, so we might do that.’," Murphy said Wednesday. "That’s game-day, it’s even hitter-by-hitter adjustments, because we get all sorts of data on where to play guys, based on this type of pitcher, everything that you can think of. Then, because of those little differences, we make game-time adjustments."

He also acknowledged that the specific loss of Adames is "huge", and that the decision of what to do to backfill the infield is a somewhat complicated one. Nonetheless, it's not far away.

"We don’t know for sure how it’s gonna land right now," he said. "We’re getting pretty close to those times. But you can see clearly, it’s either we keep Ortiz [at third] or we try one of these young guys, Durbin or—I say try, but I have belief in both of [Caleb Durbin] and [Oliver Dunn], or [Andruw Monasterio], or [Vinny Capra] is certainly making a name for himself in spring training."

That might sound like manager boilerplate, but it's relatively definitive, as Murphy's sphinxlike approach to spring training conversations goes. He also went on at some length about Dunn, whom he clearly views as the favorite for that job (though he won't admit as much). With each passing day, Ortiz becomes more clearly the shortstop, and Dunn gets closer to claiming the hot corner—especially amid struggles by Durbin at that position in his early looks.

He's still toying with various options, but one path Murphy will not consider is a system whereby Ortiz and/or Turang move from one position to another, from day to day.

"I don’t want to do that. I think that’s too much for the player, because each position is different," Murphy said. "We tend to think second and short are kind of similar, and while they’re similar, they’re very different. Very different angles on the field, very different throws they make, and second to third? Huge difference. Third to short, short to third? Shew. So, I don’t want to switch their positions. Injuries would create that [possibility]; that would be it."

Left unsaid there, of course, are two facts:

1. If an injury strikes, that very unfamiliarity—that position switch that was not much practiced for, but becomes unavoidable—hits like an aftershock of the quake that is the injury; and
2. Not everyone has earned the privilege of not having to move around.

"Murph’s absolutely right with that. It is different angles, and different stuff," said Capra, one of the merry men rattled off as theoretical options at third. "I think playing different positions, you just kind of take reps at each one every day and try to do your best with it. The footwork, the throws—it’s similar, and the more time you get under your belt playing at each one, the transition is easier and easier. I’ve played quite a bit of short, second, and third over the past couple of years. It’s kind of like the work you put in just plays out now, and they’re not so different. It takes a little bit of reps at the beginning of the day, and it smooths out."

In short, Capra (who's played 769 innings at second base, 1,243 at third, and 1,530 at shortstop in his six minor-league seasons) buys Murphy's premise, but seems less worried about the conclusion his skipper draws therefrom. He talked about needing to get reps at each spot regularly, in practice, but he's also very comfortable with the preparation process involved. He trusts and profoundly respects infield coaches Matt Erickson and Mike Guerrero, whom he goes to when he thinks he needs help on a particular sequence of movements or the timing of a play, and he accepts the responsibility of being ready to play wherever and whenever he's called upon.

Meanwhile, Ortiz barely notices the difference Murphy plays up so much.

"I wouldn’t say so. It’s still the same game," Ortiz said, when asked if a year of playing third base had taught him anything about playing shortstop, giving him a new angle on things. "You’ve still gotta field the ball, throw the ball, hit the guy in the chest, get an out, no matter where you are in the field. I think, actually, coming up playing short probably helped me at third base a little bit, because you’ve gotta have a little more range to play short—gotta get better jumps, all these things that go into it, but it’s still the same game. Field the ball, throw the ball."

The Brewers themselves are less worried about the added wrinkles created by moving between positions than their manager is—but that's Murphy's job, anyway. He's tasked with putting his players in the best possible position to succeed, and in his view, that means giving the players who merit everyday playing time an everyday position, at least on the dirt—and at least right now, with this set of players.

If the season began tomorrow, there's no doubt whatsoever that Turang would be at second base, Ortiz would be at short, and Dunn would play third. There's still time for that to change, but the trends in the changeable spaces are pointing the same way as the hard facts. Don't expect to see much (if any) of Turang at short or Ortiz at third, as long as health allows Murphy to avoid those outcomes. At the moment, don't expect to see much of Monasterio or Durbin early in the season, anywhere.

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[Michael Trzinski]

I like Turang at 2B and Ortiz at SS. It would be nice to see someone 'win' the 3B job, head and shoulders above the other challengers...

[Team Canada]

Adames left a huge hole, but I don't think it was on defense. I fully expect Ortiz to be better than Willy was last year, and certainly over the next few years should be far better than Willy on the downside of his career.

[cheapseats12]

Id be shocked to not see Durbin on the 26 and getting a shot to platoo. early in the season. They clearly traded for him for a reason. Dunno is not an everyday player and needs to platoon if start at all.