Don't Forget the Milwaukee Brewers' Forgotten Man in the Infield Mix

Andruw Monasterio must be feeling like he is invisible.  The Brewers seem to be looking for every solution to their infield problems but him. This isn’t surprising; he has been overlooked by the Brewers (and the rest of the league) before. Monasterio wasn’t included in the Freshman promotion blitz prior to the 2023 season; he wasn’t expected to be a part of the mix at all. Now, he is likely wondering if the Brewers remember that he was the very competent starting third baseman for a good chunk of 2023.

Over the winter, the Brewers have spoken about giving Tyler Black a chance to win the job at third base. They have added Joey Ortiz, Vinny Capra, and Oliver Dunn to the options box.  And now we find out that Sal Frelick has been preparing to play the two positions at which Monastario most often played last year. All this could make a person question if the Brewers have any confidence in Monasterio even being on the MLB roster.

Monasterio has been overlooked since he began his baseball career, having signed out of the Venezuelan Development Leagues in 2014. During his minor-league time, he was traded twice.  The Brewers signed him as a minor-league free agent in Nov. 2021, after a solid season with Cleveland’s top two farm clubs. In the Milwaukee system in 2022, Monasterio had some initial difficulties transitioning into Triple-A ball, but by 2023, he improved his slugging percentage over 70 points and got the promotion to the big leagues. 

Last May, Monasterio came up to the Brewers and provided solid production at second and third base. This follows a trend from his time in the minors; he continually rose to the challenge whenever promoted. Throughout his minor-league career, he has kept his OBP solidly in the .360 range, while adding a bit more pop over the last two years to move his slugging percentage over .400. After starting with a May hot streak, he finished with a solid last couple of months of the season—all while contributing slightly above-average defense at second and third base.

In 2023, Andruw Monasterio contributed 1.3 WAR in 92 games. Projecting this production over 162 games, he would have achieved 2.3 WAR. That would be solid production, compared to MLB’s average WAR of 2.5 at second and 2.1 at third. 

Should the Brewers be expecting a monumental collapse by Monasterio in 2024?  Probably not.  Although his production throughout 2023 had some ups and downs, he was on an upward trend in some important categories, including increasing hard-hit and fly-ball rates through the second half of the season. His swing is compact and consistent, without any significant holes. Unlike some of the other freshmen who had regression during the season and/or have serious red flags concerning contact rate, there aren’t holes in Monasterio’s profile other than his lack of power. 

There also isn’t much reason to anticipate a breakout season. That isn’t the way Monasterio rolls. He incrementally improves production. This should give the Brewers a bit more confidence in relying on him to take 400 at-bats in a versatile infield role during 2024. The Crew have purposely overstocked the team to protect against regression or injuries. Perhaps that is what they are doing by having Frelick get some reps on the dirt. 

Still, don’t be surprised to see Monasterio get a majority of the at-bats at an infield position during 2024. It is much more likely that Frelick slots into the outfield, where other players come with more significant question marks. It also seems possible that Turang, Ortiz or Black gets some more time in the minors to hone their game. In the end, the Brewers will make decisions based on performance. If there isn’t a big breakout season from one of the other young players, the Brewers and their fans will once again recognize the steady production on offense and defense that Monasterio brings to the team.