An Up-the-Middle Athlete on the Edges of the Diamond, Tyler Black Needs Refinement

That quip, like much of what Murphy says, was more badinage than genuine, serrated barb. He thinks Tyler Black can help the Brewers a great deal, and that he'll be a competent corner infielder with the glove. But does he trust Black yet?

"No. Not yet," Murphy said Saturday, after a Friday contest in which Black chased down two difficult foul pop-ups but let a ground ball toward the second base position draw him out of position and committed an error. "The kid [as a person] doesn’t have to show me more. I really like the player, but he’s gotta hone in and refine himself at both [corner infield] spots. I think he’s gonna be great at them.

"He’s definitely a big-leaguer. He’s gonna make his debut this year. I’m excited about it. This kid can hit, man. He can be a really good offensive player."

I've asked around about Black over the last few months, and a few themes recur. Firstly, other teams had the same inclination that the Brewers seem to have had when they first selected Black, in 2021: that his big-spaces athleticism really might belong in the outfield. Scouts from three other organizations either turned Black in as an outfielder before the draft or recommended moving him there in pro looks, and indeed, the Brewers had him in the outfield nearly as often as on the dirt in 2021 and 2022.

However, other reports did note the same things (a compact frame, quick twitch, and good makeup) that led the Brewers to confine him to the infield last year (97 games at third base, 16 at first). Scouts round up on players like Black, who combine such explosive physical skills with an intense work ethic, and Murphy clearly has the same impulse.

The play that stood out most on Friday was the one on which Black was shaded toward the hole between first and second, and went at least a half-dozen steps to his right to field a grounder--only to throw errantly when trying to hit a covering Bryse Wilson at the base. For a player with more than 16 games of professional experience at first, it's obvious that that ball isn't one for you to handle. You take your chances on your second baseman getting there, and you get yourself to the base. Black was so inexperienced, though, that he almost made a brilliant play. 

The way he charged after pop-ups down near the entrance to the Brewers dugout, and later back beyond the end of it, is related. Black has playmaking instincts. He wants the ball, and because of that, he's the kind of player who can stretch the bounds of his position (and even the playing field) and earn the team an extra out here or there.

It seems a small thing, but it can sometimes be game-breaking. At his best, Anthony Rizzo (himself an overqualified athlete for first base, although not a plausible candidate for most other spots on the diamond, as Black is) did this, with several catches at the very edges of the playing field (or beyond it). Keith Hernandez could sometimes cover the whole right side of the infield, as Black tried to do Friday, and was aggressive in the extreme cutting down the lead runner on bunts.

Few teams can afford to put a player with this level of athleticism and baseball skill at a spot like first base, but given the Brewers' wealth of outfield options and a creeping threat of logjam at third base, they almost have to try him there for a bit. As he gains experience, he might transform from a liability at the position (he's also been a hair slow on balls hit hard but fairly close to him, on at least two occasions this week) to a major asset--the kind of player who reshapes the field and opens up defensive possibilities within a play.

Black isn't a candidate to open the season with the parent club. He's not on the 40-man roster, and while he hasn't disappointed or failed anyone in the organization during camp, he also hasn't asserted himself the way he would have needed to do in order to make that leap right away. It'll be interesting to see how often he mans each corner in Nashville in April, though. Murphy has clearly wanted looks at him at first, and while Rhys Hoskins has that position nailed down for 2024, it's easy to imagine Black being a bench bat and floating four-corners super sub late in this season, then the starting first baseman in 2025. That depends mostly on his bat, but his legs and his glove will make him stand out at the position, if and when he gains command of the rudiments.