In Search of a Third Sacker: The Brewers' Never-Ending Story

[Michael Trzinski]

Image courtesy of Stephen Dunn/Allsports

Just three short months ago, the Milwaukee Brewers' brain trust was gnashing their collective teeth, tossing and turning in their beds, awake in the early morning hours, trying to find an answer to a ‘simple’ question.

Who is going to play third base for us this year?

After shortstop Willy Adames found 182 million reasons to flee Brew City and head west to the City by the Bay, Matt Arnold and company worked endlessly to staff the left side of the Milwaukee infield. Shortstop (more or less) was settled early, as former third baseman Joey Ortiz was moved 40 feet away from the position he played well in 2024. That left third base to be filled.

Even though there was tons of hope that the situation would resolve itself, that has not been the case. Ortiz has struggled at the ‘6’, posting -4 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) through his first 46 games. He’s not doing much better at the dish, batting .170/.233/.218 with just one homer and four doubles this year.

It’s even worse at third base, though. So far, six players have scuffed the dirt at the position: Caleb Durbin, Vinny Capra, Oliver Dunn, Andruw Monasterio, Sal Frelick, and Isaac Collins. After failures by Dunn and Capra, Durbin has stepped up and done okay in the field, posting a +1 DRS. It is a different story at the plate, as the rookie is slashing .174/.273/.244 across 100 plate appearances.

Fear not, Brewer fans. We’ve seen this problem in the past. In fact, since Jeff Cirillo was traded to the Colorado Rockies just before Christmas 1999, there have been more than a few auditions for the third base part.

Eighty-eight players have played at least one game at third since the final season at County Stadium. Players like Chris Barnwell (2006), César Izturis (2012), Edwin Maysonet (2012), Irving Falu (2014), Colin Walsh (2016), and Nate Orf (2018) were all trotted out to see if any of them wanted to take a regular role, but unfortunately, none of them did. (By the way, 50 points if you've ever heard of any of these guys.)

Bill Hall played six positions in his tenure (2002-09) with the Brewers, but the 263 games at the hot corner were more than he played elsewhere. Craig Counsell also spent time at third, playing over 150 games in his six seasons in Milwaukee.

The Brewers signed Aramis Ramírez as a free agent before the 2012 season, and he played well in his three and a half seasons with Milwaukee, playing in 455 games despite missing half of 2013 with a knee injury. Ramírez led the NL with 50 doubles in 2012 and was an All-Star in 2014. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in July 2015.

Next up was Travis Shaw. He hit 63 homers in 2017 and 2018, before struggling badly in 2019—spending half the season in the minors—and being non-tendered after the season.

Mike Moustakas split time with Shaw in 2019 and earned an All-Star nod, slashing .254/.329/.516 with 35 longballs. He left after the season as a free agent. Between 2021-2023, no player started more than 58 games in a single season. Ortiz started 124 games in 2024, giving some semblance of stability at a position that had anything but for most of the previous 25 years.

Think of how good Brewers fans had it ‘back in the day.’ From the late 1970s until the early '90s, players like Don Money, Sal Bando, and Paul Molitor manned the position on an almost daily basis. However, fans also had to tolerate the temper tantrums of Gary Sheffield for two seasons, pouting his way through the years because he was moved from his shortstop spot in favor of Billy Spiers. Jim Gantner, Kevin Seitzer, and B.J. Surhoff all played huge chunks of time at the spot before Cirillo made it his for four solid years in the late 1990s.

But that was a long time ago. Now we are waiting patiently for someone (like Mike Boeve, or Brock Wilken?) to come up and make a splash—to take over the third base spot for the next 10 years.

We can only hope.

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[Stubby66]

With in the next two weeks the Brewers need to go with Mike Boeve at second Turang at short and Black at third. Send Ortiz down for awhile. Now once Mitchell and Perkins are back you send Monso and Collins back down. Keep Cameron as fifth outfielder.  Then gradually use Frelick a couple days a week in the infield. You gotta start having Yellich in the field to get Conteras as DH along with Haase as your catcher. Or go with Seigler in Cameron spot. It opens up more pinch hitting opportunities for Haase. If not Seigler try Clarke ( possibly a David Frye type).

[Michael Trzinski]

11 minutes ago, Stubby66 said:

With in the next two weeks the Brewers need to go with Mike Boeve at second Turang at short and Black at third. Send Ortiz down for awhile. Now once Mitchell and Perkins are back you send Monso and Collins back down. Keep Cameron as fifth outfielder.  Then gradually use Frelick a couple days a week in the infield. You gotta start having Yellich in the field to get Conteras as DH along with Haase as your catcher. Or go with Seigler in Cameron spot. It opens up more pinch hitting opportunities for Haase. If not Seigler try Clarke ( possibly a David Frye type).

The way things are going, what would it really hurt to give some 'kids' a chance? If they are truly overmatched, send them back down to get more Triple-A or Double-A reps. Who knows? Boeve or Wilken might turn out to be a good surprise. Same with Mizzy...if you need a pitcher, give him a shot.

[sveumrules]

9 minutes ago, Stubby66 said:

With in the next two weeks the Brewers need to go with Mike Boeve at second Turang at short and Black at third. 

Black has four rehab games on the complex so far and only played nine games at 3B last year.

Boeve has only DHed in his nine rehab games and hasn’t played 2B since 16 games in 2023.

Not sure the Brewers would rush either to MLB so soon after injury, especially at such demanding positions.

[ghostdrew]

Yeah lets put boeve  at 2nd 😂and play black needed a laugh tonite

[Jim French Stepstool]

1 hour ago, ghostdrew said:

Yeah lets put boeve  at 2nd 😂and play black needed a laugh tonite

Well, Travis Shaw DID play 2B...........

[jay87shot]

Nicky Lopez got dfa'd by the Cubs. I think he was like 1-21 but the glove is solid. I am hoping we can maybe find an early season trade when Civale, Woody, and Ashby come back. Even it is Tyler Alexander for someone else's utility bench bat. 

[Harold Hutchison]

There was a guy who also had about 114 games at the hot corner in `07... had a very good career with the Crew (NL Rookie of the Year), led the league in slugging in `07. Was MVP in 2011... put together a lot of very good year at the plate. Might have been the long-term answer Brewers fans were seeking...

 

[Stubby66]

Well they at the very least need to give Black a shot at third. Can't be any worse then Durbin.  Maybe switch Durbin to second and Turang to short with Ortiz going down. Black could be another Loretta.  His defense has been overly marked as bad. Nicky Lopez has been retreated too many times now. As far as Boeve he is a hitting machine who just showing up would make the offense better. Last year we did good because we let the young guys have a chance. Stearn biggest mistakes was he kept retreading the same dfad guys. Arnold is gradually doing the same thing.

[Team Canada]

2 hours ago, Harold Hutchison said:

There was a guy who also had about 114 games at the hot corner in `07... had a very good career with the Crew (NL Rookie of the Year), led the league in slugging in `07. Was MVP in 2011... put together a lot of very good year at the plate. Might have been the long-term answer Brewers fans were seeking...

Still?

He was not a 3B. It was a train wreck.

[jay87shot]

Owen Miller just elected free agency, I would take him back in a heartbeat. He isn't a long term answer by any means but he should hit over .200.

[Snoebird]

David Stearns' greatest accomplishment was turning Milwaukee into a pitching factory. His greatest mistake with the Brewers was not drafting corner infielders. I understand his reasoning for drafting players at the so-called premium positions, but Matt Arnold promptly corrected Stearns' first-round mistake of Eric Brown Jr. by drafting Brock Wilken atop his first draft. And Arnold has struck a tremendous balance of signing middle infielders from Latin America and drafting sluggers and pitchers. The Brewers are finally on par with the Walt Jocketty Cardinals in their drafting and development, and it will pay off in years to come. 

[Michael Trzinski]

19 hours ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

Well, Travis Shaw DID play 2B...........

DRS of -1 in 270 innings? Not too good...lol