Blake Perkins's Role Will Change This Weekend, But His Peskiness is Still a Needed Element in Brewers Offense

There will be chances to rest Sal Frelick, who is having a sensational season but has played through several bumps and bruises in order to help cover for the rest of the Brewers' injuries. There will be chances to spell Isaac Collins, one of the best stories of the season for the Crew but also a player whose flaws have become slightly more visible as he approaches a career high in games played within a season. With Jackson Chourio reclaiming one spot in the outfield mix on most days beginning Friday night in Toronto, Pat Murphy will have some options, but much of the time, Chourio will start in center field. That will mean a move to the bench, at least early in games, for the estimable Blake Perkins.

With Christian Yelich, Frelick, Chourio, Collins and Perkins, the Brewers will now have perhaps the deepest outfield group in the majors. That means a reduction in playing time for each, but that's ok. Without Perkins, though, a new pressure will be applied to guys like Frelick and Andruw Monasterio: to work counts and get the team good looks at a pitcher. Since his return from a long stint on the injured list to start the season, Perkins has been an integral part of the club's effort to not only fill up the basepaths and the scoreboard, but wear down opposing staffs and create chances for their signature long rallies.

Of the 426 batters with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Perkins ranks 15th-lowest in first-pitch swing rate. He's 23rd-highest in pitches per plate appearance. When he first returned to the active roster, he was red-hot with the bat, but his production has sagged since, leaving his value to the offense much harder to assign or see. However, that value hasn't evaporated as completely as the numbers imply. By being a tough out (or at least one that requires some significant work by the pitcher), Perkins makes life easier for his teammates.

Perkins sees 4.25 pitches per plate appearance, entering Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks. That's a product of his vulnerability to swinging and missing, but more than that, it's a testament to his patience—and his dedication thereto, especially in the form of taking the first pitch or two almost every time he steps to bat. In fact, if you extend the above reference to first-pitch swings to the first two pitches of each at-bat (all 0-0, 1-0 and 0-1 counts), Perkins is 20th-least likely to swing of 446 qualifying hitters. He takes up the time and energy of opposing teams, even though he's not one of the primary threats in the Milwaukee offense.

If Chourio comes back and hits the way he's capable of hitting, you happily sacrifice the occasional long at-bat (and the utter absence of quick, easy outs) Perkins delivered as a near-everyday player. He can slot back into a more limited role, and Chourio can help the team more consistently create runs via short, powerful sequences from the top of the batting order. Whenever possible, though, look for Pat Murphy to keep slipping Perkins into his batting order, to make it harder for opposing pitching staffs to navigate the bottom third thereof. 

These little things matter. Forcing a few extra pitches each time through the order can press an opposing starter out of a game sooner. Extending an at-bat against a hard-throwing reliever can force them to show their full arsenal, making it easier for subsequent hitters to come up with the key hit. The Brewers' grinding machine of an offense can operate on the long hits we've seen from Brice Turang and William Contreras this month, supplemented by the ones Chourio, Andrew Vaughn and Christian Yelich have taken turns providing at other stages of the season. If the team also has a collection of guys stretching at-bats and creating miniature rallies at the bottom of the lineup card, though, they're a more complete team. Given the role Perkins also plays in run prevention, he's a winning piece any time he's on the field. He just contributes to a different kind of win, on balance, than Chourio usually does.

Milwaukee's depth is rounding back out just in time. They look a bit tired and had to settle for a frustrating split with the Diamondbacks at Uecker Field this week. No matter. The presence of Perkins, Frelick, Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler and more gives them ways to alleviate the hard grind of the season over the final month. They're working with a comfortable cushion in the race even for the top seed in the National League. Perkins will play less beginning this weekend, but he'll still play, and the team will benefit from its widening variety of options.