Milwaukee 2024 Spring Training Battles: The Final Bench Spots

The Brewers have a lot of talent vying for the final spot or two on their Opening Day roster, both in the upper levels of the minor-league system and already on their 40 man roster. Most positions are hotly contested, and it may leave some unhappy campers. Working on the rough assumption that all of the below are likely to be on the squad, here are the arguments for and against each player’s involvement:

Outfielders: Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell/Joey Wiemer
Infielders: Rhys Hoskins, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, Willy Adames, Tyler Black
Catchers: William Contreras, Gary Sánchez

The Candidates
Jake Bauers
Acquired from the New York Yankees for two top-30 system prospects, Bauers's arrival left many Brewers fans scratching their heads. A powerful left-handed bat with poor surface-level stats for the Yankees, Bauers's underlying metrics put him in the 90th percentile for barrel rate and hard-hit rate, combined with 80th percentile in chase rates and expected slugging percentage. In short, he demonstrated that he could be an extremely potent left-handed bat and add power to an offense sorely lacking home run production last season. He has no issue getting the ball in the air with regularity, and should provide some lower-in-the-order pop.

Bauers is out of options, so it’s highly likely that the Brewers will keep him on their 26-man roster to start the season (having invested the prospect capital to do so), barring a calamitous spring training performance. A triumvirate of Hoskins, Contreras and Sánchez against left handers, with Bauers tagging in against righthanders ,adds a lot of pop to this Brewers lineup. On the other hand, Bauers doesn't have a credible track record of success on which to fall back, which means he’ll need to hit the ground running. That kind of power coming off the bench in favorable situations is a weapon, though, and it’s tough to see him not making the Opening Day roster.

Likelihood of Making It: 90%

Andruw Monasterio
Monasterio was a bit of a cult hero last year, with an ability to put the ball in play backed up by a really good sweet spot rate that let him drop in plenty of singles. He’s versatile enough to cover second base admirably, but there remain question marks over his ceiling. His slugging rate was below the expected marks from Baseball Savant, but even then, it would be a surprise to see him hit more than about eight home runs over a full season of plate appearances.

In January, it would have seemed highly likely for Monasterio to be on the Opening Day roster, but the addition of Joey Ortiz throws a wrench in the works. Ortiz and Turang would both have better defensive chops, including an ability to play above an above-average shortstop, which could leave Monasterio in a battle with Tyler Black. Black’s offensive capabilities and ceiling surpass what Monasterio can provide, and as a result, the Crew's top infield prospect may push last year's valued super sub down to the minor leagues, there to await dips in form or injury to reach the majors again.

Likelihood of Making It: 20%

Joey Wiemer/Garrett Mitchell
Sal Frelick’s potential availability in the infield adds some flexibility to the outfield corps, which could provide more reps for the fifth outfielder. The expectation is that Wiemer and Mitchell will be fighting it out for the fourth outfielder role, something that should produce considerable playing time, and the other will be sent to work on their offensive game at Triple-A Nashville. Both have issues with the bat surrounding contact rates, but both have strong defensive floors, so it could be a toss-up, depending on their performance in spring training and improvements they’ve worked on throughout the offseason.

There remains a discussion on Mitchell’s ability to stay healthy, while I recently wrote about Wiemer being a breakout star in 2024, but whoever scuffles this spring is likely to be kept in the minor leagues to develop their offensive potential and (hopefully) be a more well-rounded threat later in the season with regular at-bats in the minors. 

Likelihood of Making It: 20%, for the one who has the tougher camp

Blake Perkins
Perkins’s silky coverage in the outfield last season slightly covered up just how effective he was defensively, with 8 Outs Above Average (OAA) in limited appearances for the Brewers across all three outfield spots. His plate coverage had some upside as well, in that (although he didn’t do any damage with the bat) he was extremely patient at the plate, which led to a 13.7% walk rate and a chase rate of just 16.8%. The downside of this discipline was that he actually struck out over 27% of the time as well, with an xBA of just .194, so to expect much offensive production from Perkins would be unfair.

A lot of teams would be extremely happy to have Perkins's defensive chops as a fourth outfielder, so pushing him to a fifth option shows the strength in depth the Brewers have. In rostering him, they could allow one of their higher-ceiling freshmen more regular reps in the minors, and as such, he may find himself there come Opening Day. He presents good value as a late-inning defensive replacement, and could give the Brewers the best defensive outfield in baseball between himself, Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick.

Likelihood of Making It: 60%

Eric Haase
When he signed in December, it appeared as though Haase was set to be the Brewers' backup catcher in 2024, but the acquisition (still pending) of Gary Sánchez changed all of that. While Sánchez is a significantly better catcher than the New York media would tell you, he may DH with regularity, creating an opportunity for Haase to be the bench catcher and avoid having to forfeit the DH spot.

This sounds good, but Haase’s performance last year wasn’t up to scratch, and unless the Brewers' revered coaching staff can turn around his defensive struggles of recent seasons, it'll become a tough sell. His work behind the plate has never been a strong suit, and his offensive metrics have dipped noticeably and alarmingly since his career year in 2021, when Haase hit 22 home runs. In 2023, he didn’t hit the ball hard at all and finished with -1.4 WAR between Detroit and Cleveland. The Brewers will hope to fix that, too, but it's no sure thing.

It seems like carrying a third catcher just on the off chance an early injury throws off a game may be a waste, especially considering how the Brewers prize versatility. Should the signing of Sánchez go through, it’s likely that Haase gets DFAed or relegated to the minors before the start of the season, and it’s tough to envision him making the cut here, barring injury to one of the more prestigious names ahead of him, or somehow finding the form that made him so useful with the bat in 2022.

Likelihood of Making It: 15%

Out of these options, who could you see as most likely to join the Brewers' 26-man roster on Opening Day? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.