Michael Trzinski

This is the weirdest story I ever researched. Danny had tons of talent, but a megaton of baggage. Too bad it ended the way it did 😓

A can’t-miss star, Dan Thomas was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers as the sixth overall pick in the 1972 MLB Draft. He arrived in Milwaukee in 1976 and played in only parts of two seasons for the Brewers. Religion, crime, and death were all a part of his short life. Many of the topics mentioned in the article below will be difficult to read. They include drug abuse, mental illness, sexual assault, and suicide. We try to present these events in as straightforward a manner as possible without judgment or editorialization. If you are concerned about reading any of the above topics, you may not want to read the following story. Thank you. Dan Thomas was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1951 and moved to the East St. Louis, Illinois, area as a youngster. He described his mother as a ‘religious fanatic.’ For a time, Thomas attended a World Wide Church of God (WWCG) church with his mom but quit when the decree that no member could work from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday interfered with his baseball schedule. At Dupo (Illinois) High School, he starred in football and baseball before heading to college at Southern Illinois University. The Salukis lost in the championship game of the 1971 College World Series to USC, 7-2. On the team that finished 43-9 were future major leaguers Duane Kuiper, Mike Eden, Jim Dwyer, and Thomas. The following season, SIU finished the season with an outstanding record of 32-8-1 but did not make it to postseason play. Thomas and Joe Wallis were named to the NCAA District 4 all-star team. In June, Thomas was chosen by the Brewers as the sixth pick in the first round of the 1972 draft. He began at Low-A Newark (New York) and slashed .271/.352/.396 in 48 at-bats but failed to hit a home run. He moved up to Triple-A Evansville (Indiana) but struggled tremendously, batting only .130/.230/.167 in 54 at-bats. Thomas was then demoted and finished the season in Double-A San Antonio. For the whole season, he had a slash line of .202/.288/.292 with only one homer while striking out 31.8% of the time. Thomas also struggled defensively at third and second bases, making 19 errors in 221 chances for a fielding percentage of .914. Thomas spent both the 1973 and 1974 campaigns at Double-A Shreveport and performed well the first year, hitting nine home runs while slashing .266/.355/.376 in 458 at-bats. Midway through the year, he switched from third base to left field and became an adequate defender. Thomas spoke out before the 1974 season about hitting advice he received from Milwaukee coaches, saying, “They took a great prospect and destroyed him. They tried to change me again this year (1974), and I told them to jump back. And I think that’s one reason I’m here (in Double-A).” In 1974, Thomas suffered a hairline break in his leg sliding into home plate in early June. He missed about seven weeks but returned in late July and finished the season, hitting a pair of home runs while slashing .255/.350/.335 in 188 at-bats. He cut down on his strikeouts, whiffing at a 22% rate, about a 10% drop from 1972. Thomas began his third straight year at Double-A in 1975 at Thetford Mines, Quebec. He found his power stroke, knocking out eight homers in 191 at-bats before he got suspended in late June for punching an umpire. Thomas had been angered by a call at second base that didn’t even involve him. After the game, he caught up with umpire Greg Henley in the parking lot and hit the arbiter in the face. Thomas was given an early ‘vacation’ and ended the year with a slash line of .251/.316/.445. However, the Brewers stuck with him and assigned Thomas to Double-A Berkshire (Massachusetts) in 1976, the fourth different Brewers’ Double-A location in five years. Thomas paid them back by having the best season of his career. He slashed .325/.414/.614, hitting 29 home runs, knocking in 83, and stealing 15 bases. He won the Triple Crown and was named the Eastern League MVP despite missing two weeks after ear surgery to repair a perforated eardrum from a bad hop ball that struck him in the ear. That earned him a September call-up to Milwaukee. Thomas continued his hot-hitting ways, slashing .276/.372/.457 in 105 at-bats, including four long balls. After the season ended, the Brewers sent Thomas to Venezuela for winter ball. One night, Thomas swallowed a handful of muscle relaxers, but his wife was able to take him to a doctor in time to save his life. The Brewers brought him back to Milwaukee, where he stayed in a hospital for three weeks. His behavior started to get stranger; he was found wandering next to a freeway in Milwaukee and later walked away from a job the Brewers had arranged for him. He returned to East St. Louis and was in a psychologist’s care for four months. And at that time, he also went back to the teachings of the WWCG. Thomas played well in spring training in 1977 and made the big club as the left fielder. However, since the Brewers played many Friday night and Saturday afternoon games, Thomas would miss about one-fourth of the team’s games due to his religious beliefs, which entailed no work (baseball) between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. “[The Brewers] were quite surprised,” Thomas said. “They asked me to reconsider, and I did. I thought about all the things I’ve been through and whether I should go back and become the old me or not. I decided there is something more important [than baseball] and said I couldn’t play on my Sabbath.” Thomas played for about a month, and although he performed well, he was sent to Triple-A Spokane. The Brewers said they needed another pitcher; Thomas thought it was something else. “I think my religion has something to do with it.” He slashed .237/.320/.344 in Spokane over 131 at-bats while hitting only one home run. He was demoted again to Double-A Holyoke (Massachusetts) but refused to report and sat out the rest of the season. The Brewers released Thomas before the 1978 season. He caught on with independent Boise in the Northwest League and did well, slashing .359/.448/.653 in 170 at-bats, but no major league team showed interest. In 1979, he played 39 games for Miami in the Inter-American League and then quit. That was his last season in organized ball. After the season, he moved back to Mobile, Alabama, with his wife and three daughters and lived with friends. Thomas was nearly broke, as he had spent most of his salary from baseball. He worked as a riveter and installed swimming pools. Thomas told his wife that he wished he’d had cancer so people would at least be able to understand what was wrong with him. On June 1, 1980, he was arrested for the sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl. He admitted to nothing but spoke to officers about the pressures on him from his past successes, his addictions, and his mental problems. A friend offered to pay for a lawyer, but Thomas refused. Eleven days later, he hung himself in his jail cell with strips of fabric ripped from his bed sheets. He had no money and was buried in a potter’s field next to a highway. Only a few people attended his funeral. His parents and three of his four siblings refused to show up. The ‘Sundown Kid’ showed bright potential, but darkness ultimately brought him down. Dan Thomas was 29 years old. View full article

Bill Parsons won 26 games in his first two years as a Milwaukee Brewer. Big things were expected, but a shoulder injury and bad advice knocked him out of baseball by age 27. What happened? Bill Parsons was one of the top hurlers for the Milwaukee Brewers in the early 1970s. He won 13 games in each of his first two seasons in Brewtown, but injuries and inconsistency derailed his promising career. Parsons—born in 1948—attended Riverside (California) Polytechnic High School and was a star in both basketball and baseball. The 6-foot-6 center was named the All-Ivy League Player of the Year his senior year and had a game where he scored 24 points and grabbed 33 rebounds. After graduation, he attended Riverside City College and played both sports there. In June 1968, Parsons was chosen in the seventh round by the Seattle Pilots. He was assigned to Lower-A Newark (New York) in the New York-Penn League. Parsons struggled with his control, walking batters at nearly an 18% rate while losing six of eight decisions and posting an ERA of 4.69. In 1969, Parsons was moved down to Billings (Montana) in the rookie Pioneer League. The big right-hander pitched once for Billings, striking out 11 in seven innings, before he was promoted to Class-A Clinton (Iowa) of the Midwest League. In 11 appearances (10 starts) for the Pilots, Parsons compiled a 5-4 mark with an ERA of 1.57 and a WHIP of 0.986. He also pitched in the Arizona Instructional League that fall/winter and performed well there. He won four games (against two losses) and fashioned a nifty 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of 1.109. Parsons moved up to Triple-A Portland in the Pacific Coast League in 1970. He pitched four games with a record of 3-0 when his National Guard unit at Fort Ord, California, called him to active duty for four months. After his discharge in the fall, he pitched for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League. His manager was Cal Ermer, who sent glowing reports back to Milwaukee. Parsons won four straight games, including a two-hitter over Ponce. The 1971 Milwaukee starting rotation included Parsons, and he quickly proved his worth. In his first major league game, he went the distance, allowing only six hits and two earned runs in a 2-0 loss to Oakland. In his first nine starts, he had five complete games and two shutouts. His record was 5-4, and his ERA was 1.80. If the Brewers could have scored a couple of runs here and there, he could have easily been 8-1. He finished the year with a 13-17 record, ERA of 3.20, WHIP of 1.275, and ERA+ of 107. He finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to Cleveland’s Chris Chambliss. Parsons also earned The Sporting News AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year and was named to the Topps Rookie All-Star Team. His 244 2/3 innings pitched rank 15th in Brewer history. His 12 complete games are tied for 12th, and his four shutouts rank in a tie for third. The following year, Parsons struggled early, completing only two games in his first 16 starts while owning an inflated ERA of 5.05. In his final 14 starts, he did much better. Parsons had eight complete games, two shutouts, and held opposing hitters to a .204 batting average. He finished 13-13 for the year with an ERA of 3.91 and tossed a pair of shutouts among his ten complete games. It was not as good as his rookie season, but it was a solid year nonetheless. Parsons hurt his shoulder during 1973 spring training and only pitched 13 innings in Arizona. He was tabbed to work the home opener against Baltimore and came away with a 2-0 win, allowing only one hit in 7 1/3 innings. The bad news? He walked six and struck out nobody. Things went downhill after that. He missed three weeks in late July through early August, and then his season ended after his outing on September 3rd. In 17 starts and three relief appearances, Parsons pitched 59 and 2/3 innings, allowed 59 hits, and struck out 30. His walk total was an incredible 67. His three wins increased his career total to 29, and those would be his last major league victories. His ERA was a career-worst 6.79. After the season, Parsons’ name was mentioned in trade talks with San Francisco for Willie McCovey. But the trade never happened, as ‘Big Mac’ was traded with another player to San Diego for future Brewer Mike Caldwell. During spring training in 1974, manager Del Crandall had mentioned that some advice in 1973 given to Parsons by then-pitching coach Bob Shaw “wrecked his motion and arm.” In late March, Parsons was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento. He had the misfortune of pitching at Hughes Stadium, which featured a left field fence only 233 feet from home plate but had a tall 40-foot screen. Parsons led the league in gopher balls and had a record of 5-8 in 14 games before he was traded in late June, along with cash, to Oakland for Deron Johnson. Parsons pitched in a dozen games at Triple-A Tucson, losing eight of 12 games before getting called to Oakland in September. He made four appearances totaling two innings. In his final big-league game on September 28, he faced four batters, walking two and allowing a double in one-third of an inning. In December, Parsons was sold to St. Louis. In 1975, he pitched in 14 games at Triple-A Tulsa before being traded to the White Sox in July for Buddy Bradford. Parsons pitched in 15 games at Triple-A Denver. By 1976, Parsons was out of baseball. He attempted a comeback in 1978 and spent some time with Seattle in spring training. "I just listened to too many people," Parsons told the Milwaukee Journal. "I was thinking about too many mechanical things, and I didn't think about getting people out. In the state of mind I was in, I couldn't get my mother out." View full article

'Chewy,' our next superstar!!

The speedy star was the first Brewers All-Star and 30-30 Club player before Ryan Braun and Christian Yelich. Tommy Harper bounced around a lot. During his 15-year big league career, he played first base, second base, third base, left field, center field, and right field in the major leagues. He also played for Cincinnati, Cleveland, Seattle, Boston, Oakland, California, Baltimore, and two years for the Milwaukee Brewers. Harper was born on October 14, 1940, in Oak Grove, Louisiana, but moved to California when he was four years old. He played football, basketball, track, and baseball at Alameda Encinal High and graduated in 1958. Harper starred athletically at Santa Rosa Junior College and San Francisco State before being signed by the Cincinnati Reds in May 1960. Harper played two seasons in the minors, but at the beginning of his third year in the Reds organization, he started in Cincinnati and played six games in April, going 4-for-8 in his first two games. But then he went hitless in his next 15 at-bats and was sent down to Triple-A San Diego, where he finished the season. He had a great slash line of .333/.450/.569 across 621 plate appearances and never played in the minors again. Harper played in Cincinnati for six years, slashing .255/.333/.362 and averaging 21 stolen bases per year. However, in the 1967 off-season, Harper was traded to Cleveland for three players. His 1968 season was lackluster, and he was made available in the 1968 Expansion Draft, in which the Seattle Pilots, the new American League team, selected him. In his only year for the Pilots, he didn’t hit that well, slashing .235/.349/.311, but led the major leagues with 73 steals, the highest total of thefts in the American League since Ty Cobb swiped 96 bags in 1915. On April Fool’s Day 1970, federal bankruptcy judge Sidney Volinn approved the $10.8 million sale to a Milwaukee group led by Allan H. “Bud” Selig. The Seattle Pilots became the Milwaukee Brewers. The team opened its season at Milwaukee County Stadium on April 7, hosting the California Angels. In the bottom of the first inning, Harper grounded out to third baseman Aurelio Rodriguez in the first at-bat in Brewer history in a 12-0 Milwaukee loss. The Brewers would lose their first three games before winning three in a row to even their record at three wins and three losses. Manager Dave Bristol moved Harper from the outfield to the infield before the 1970 campaign, where he played 128 games at third base, 22 games at second base, and only 13 contests in the outfield. Bristol said this of his player, “Harper will impress a lot of people with his speed and base stealing.” Bristol had been Harper’s manager in Cincinnati for two years (1966, 1967) and knew the speedster’s capabilities. After a great first half of the season, Harper received the third-most votes at second base in All-Star Game voting behind Rod Carew and Dick McAuliffe. Ironically, Carew and McAuliffe were both injured and didn’t play. American League manager Earl Weaver selected Baltimore’s Davey Johnson to start at second while picking Harper as an alternate. Wisconsin sportswriters were in an uproar because Harper batted .308, scored 56 runs, knocked in 37, had 15 home runs, and led the AL in doubles and stolen bases in early July. Johnson hit 30 points less and had about half of Harper’s production. To add insult to injury, Johnson played nearly the whole game of the 12-inning contest while Harper was inserted as a pinch-runner in the top of the fifth and was thrown out trying to steal by Johnny Bench. The National League won 5-4 on Pete Rose’s infamous collision with Ray Fosse at the plate in extra innings. ‘Tailwind,’ as Harper was called, suffered a bruised left thigh in a collision at third base with Chicago’s Bill Melton in early August and stole only eight bases in the last two months to finish with 38 steals. Harper earned enough MVP votes to finish in sixth place. His season was one of the best in Brewers history. He ranked in the top five in the American League in runs scored, doubles, stolen bases, slugging percentage, and total bases. His numbers placed in the top 10 in hits, home runs, OBP, OPS, and OPS+. Harper’s 7.4 Wins Above Replacement in 1970 ranks fourth in Milwaukee Brewers history. In 1971, his final year as a Brewer, Harper split time between third base and left field, with a few games in center field. His power and speed numbers were down, as he had 25 steals and 14 homers, a decrease from 38 and 31, respectively. In October, Harper was included in a 10-player deal between Milwaukee and Boston. Harper, along with Pat Skrable, Lew Krausse, and Marty Pattin, were sent to the Red Sox for Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud, Jim Lonborg, Don Pavletich, and George (Boomer) Scott. Harper played the next three years in Boston and led the AL with 54 steals in 1973. Over the next three years, he played for California, Oakland, and Baltimore and ended his career after the 1976 season. Harper collected 1,609 hits, 146 home runs, and 408 stolen bases during his career. His career slash line was .257/.338/.379. He is tied with Johnny Damon for 68th place in career stolen bases. Harper served as a coach for the Red Sox from 1980-1984 and again from 2000-2002. He also coached with Montreal from 1990-1999. Harper would be a leader in taking a stand against racism and discrimination with the Red Sox in 2017 and beyond. But as a player, Tommy Harper had speed and power, as witnessed by his 30-30 season in 1970. He was the Milwaukee Brewers' first All-Star and top-10 MVP finalist. Milwaukee fans of a certain age will remember him as the first Brewers superstar. View full article

It appeared to me that he slid late, without malicious intent (JMO). He could have really wiped out McNeill, but he probably didn't even draw blood. Boyz will be boyz!

The Cubs fell short of the NL Central title last year but hope with the re-signing of Cody Bellinger and the signing of Nippon League star pitcher Shota Imanaga that they can claw their way back to the top over Milwaukee and St. Louis. Since 2015, the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals each won three NL Central titles. The Cubs had two runner-up finishes, while the Brewers and Cardinals each had three. For the most part—other than the Cubs 2016 World Series win—these three teams were pretty much interchangeable in the top three places in the division. Last year on Independence Day, the Cubs were in 4th place in the Central Division but played .661 baseball over the next two months and closed to within 1 ½ games of the Brewers, but faded after Labor Day, winning only seven of 22 games over the last month or so to end nine games short of the Central title. Losses/Signings The Cubs key losses include infielder Jeimer Candelario, and pitchers Marcus Stroman and Michael Fulmer to free agency. On the plus side of the ledger, the Cubs were able to re-sign 1B-OF Cody Bellinger. They also received first baseman Michael Busch and pitcher Yency Almonte in a trade with the Dodgers. Veteran reliever Hector Neris was signed as a free agent, and who can forget the signing of Nippon Professional Baseball League left-handed ace Shota Imanaga? And you might have heard that former long-time Brewers manager Craig Counsell now wears a Chicago uniform and will be trying to beat the team that plays in Milwaukee. Pitching Staff Counsell has already tabbed Justin Steele as the Opening Day starter. The southpaw had an ERA+ of 146 and a 3.02 FIP to go along with 16 victories in 2023. Shota Imanaga brings his experience and success (3.18 ERA over 1,002 innings in eight years) from Japan and will most likely be slotted in the number two spot, with veteran Kyle Hendricks (120 ERA+, 3.81 FIP) expected to be in the mix as well. With the uncertainty of the lower back injury/tightness to Jameson Taillon, it is possible he will start the year on the injured list. The remaining starters will probably come from the foursome of Javier Assad, Drew Smyly, Hayden Wesneski, or Jordan Wicks. Smyly (90 ERA+, 4.96 FIP) is out of minor league options, so he should stick, either in the rotation or in the bullpen. Assad (147 ERA+, 4.29 FIP) and lefty Wicks (102 ERA+, 4.70 FIP) are the front-runners to round out the quintet, but Counsell has mentioned he might use six pitchers in a ‘five-man rotation.’ Almonte (86 ERA+, 4.59 FIP), Mark Leiter, Jr. (129 ERA+, 3.77 FIP), and Julian Merryweather (133 ERA+, 3.52 FIP) should be mainstays in the bullpen, while Adbert Alzolay (168 ERA+, 3.02 FIP, 22 saves) will close out games, with Neris (246 ERA+, 3.83 FIP) in a set-up role, ready to step up if Alzolay falters. Keegan Thompson (96 ERA+, 4.44 FIP) has done well in a small sample size this spring and might be in the mix as well. Catchers Yan Gomes didn’t act like a 35-year-old last year, starting 92 games and hitting .267/.315/.408 across 419 trips to the plate. Expect his playing time to be about the same this year. The Cubs have high hopes for back-up Miguel Amaya, who had a slash line of .214/.329.359 in 53 games. The starting job will be his if Gomes slips. If the Cubs want a third catcher, free agent veteran Jorge Alfaro will get a few starts for the Cubbies. First Base Michael Busch will be the front-runner for the starting nod, as Cody Bellinger is expected to start in center field for the time being. Busch struggled in 27 games for the Dodgers last year, but Chicago has high hopes for the 2019 first-round draft pick. Patrick Wisdom (.205/.289/.500) has tons of power and will be the likely back-up at each of the corner infield spots. Second Base Nico Hoerner (.283/.346/.383) had a solid season in 2023 and led the team with 43 steals. He will be the Cubs leadoff hitter once again. Nick Madrigal (.263/.311/.352) is fighting a hamstring issue and might go on the injured list. If not, he will get playing time at second and third. Miles Mastrobuoni (.241/.308/.301), who can play 2B-3B-SS and either of the corners in the outfield, will be the super-utility, jack-of-all-trades player. Third Base Christopher Morel has the slight edge at third so far but could be challenged by Wisdom or Madrigal for playing time. Morel (.247/.313/.508) tied for the team lead last year with 26 HRs. Shortstop Dansby Swanson (.244/.328/.416) was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner last year. Hoerner and Mastrobuoni will back up as needed, which shouldn’t be too often. Left Field Ian Happ (.248/.360/.431) played in 158 games last year but is bothered by a hamstring issue this spring but should be good to go for Opening Day. Mastrobuoni will fill in as needed at the corner spots. Center Field Bellinger (.307/.356/.525) will take over in CF until young phenom Pete Crow-Armstong (PCA) proves his worth at Triple-A Iowa. Right Field Seiya Suzuki (.285/.357/.485) has shown improvement his first two seasons and is a solid outfielder. Designated Hitter Mike Tauchman (.252/.363/.377) will also be the fourth outfielder for the Cubs, with the ability to play all three spots in the garden. * All statistics were from 2023. Predictions There are two constants seen in the prognosticator’s crystal ball this season: no team in the NL Central is going to win more than 85 games, and that the Pittsburgh Pirates will bring up the rear…again. Look for Chicago and St. Louis to battle for the top spot, with Milwaukee and Cincinnati fighting for third. Of course, hot streaks or injuries could throw those prophecies out the window. Will Craig Counsell be a difference-maker on the bench? Cubs' fans are waiting with bated breath. Enjoy the season! How do you think the NL Central will shake out? Please comment below. View full article

Will Joey Ortiz win the starting spot at the hot corner? What will be the role for Andruw Monasterio this year: utility guy or starter? When will we see Tyler Black and/or Brock Wilken in Milwaukee? Enquiring minds want to know! Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Andruw Monasterio) The Starter: Joey Ortiz 2023 MLB Stats: 15 G, 34 PA, .212/.206/.242 AAA Stats: 88 G, 389 PA, .321/.378/.507, 9 HR 2024 Projections (ZiPS): 94 G, 406 PA, .241/.297/.371, 8 HR, 1.1 fWAR; PECOTA: 360 PA, .237/.298/.367, 7 HR, 0.4 WARP, 86 DRC+, 18.1% K, 7.2% BB Scouting Report: Ortiz came over with pitcher DL Hall from Baltimore in the Corbin Burnes trade. He is a plus defender at shortstop and is projected as an adequate third baseman in the short term, although is expected to move to SS if (and when) Willy Adames gets moved. Ortiz is on the small side (5’9”, 190) but has consistently registered high exit velocities in the minors and appears to have enough pop to hit 10-15 HRs in the bigs. His career K percentage is 17.2, well below the major league average last year of 22.7. Ortiz is average at drawing a free pass with his 9.5% walk rate. The 25-year-old is an average runner and won’t steal a ton of bases, but won’t be a pylon on the bases, either. Ortiz worked hard during the minor league shutdown of 2020, moving him up the organizational list in the eyes of Orioles brass, but had his 2021 season ended with a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder that required surgery. The injury has healed and should not be a problem going forward. At this early time, the right-handed batter should be the front-runner at third base but could just as easily be slotted into the starting spot at SS should Adames be traded before the season. The Backup/Utility Guy: Andruw Monasterio 2023 MLB Stats: 92 G, 315 PA, .259/.330/.348, 3 HR, 1.3 bWAR 2024 Projections (ZiPS): 45 G, 196 PA, .249/.330/.361, 3 HR, 0.7 fWAR; PECOTA: 252 PA, .242/.322/.353, 4 HR, 0.5 WARP, 92 DRC+, 19.8% K, 9.5% BB Scouting Report: The 25-year-old was signed as a free agent by the Brewers after the 2021 campaign but didn’t make his big-league debut until the end of May 2023. He had 21 multi-hit games, and his batting average was up to .307 in late July after a two-week hot streak that saw him hit .400 (16-for-40). Monasterio came back to earth the last two months and finished with decent numbers for his rookie season. The right-handed hitter from Venezuela was versatile, as he made 48 starts at third, 21 starts at second, and even started the game twice as a shortstop. Monasterio was very good against LHP, slashing .291/.387/.392 in 93 plate appearances. His 2024 season depends on how Brice Turang and Ortiz perform. Monasterio can start at either 2B or 3B and is a decent defender, with above-average speed and arm strength. Other Options: At this point, three other candidates are on the 40-man roster: Vinny Capra, Oliver Dunn, and Owen Miller. All three have minor league options left. Miller is rated the most likely of the three to see substantial playing time in Milwaukee, according to the ZiPS projections. Capra and Dunn will most likely provide organizational depth to begin the season. A trio of non-roster invitees add to the mix. The highly touted duo of Tyler Black and Brock Wilken will get opportunities to flash their wares in Arizona over the next few weeks. Black has a decent chance to stick on the big-league roster, while Wilken probably needs more seasoning, likely at Double-A Biloxi to start the year. Veteran Christian Arroyo signed a minor league NRI contract last month and has played seven years in the bigs. Arroyo can play any spot in the infield and can even patrol a corner garden spot in a pinch. He, however, has no minor league options left. Many Brewer fans would like to see Tyler Black win a starting job at 3B. His plus hit and run tools have helped him to advance nicely through the farm system, but he is unlikely to steal 55 bases in the big leagues. A successful spring would most likely ensure that he would start the season in Milwaukee. The Big Questions: Can Joey Ortiz hit well enough to keep a starting role? His glove will never be in question, but he needs to perform at the dish as well. Monasterio can play in the bigs, but his role will be decided by how Ortiz and Turang do at 3B and 2B, respectively. Miller, Capra, Dunn, Arroyo, and Black might be battling for one spot, depending on how manager Pat Murphy sets his roster. Wilken might see some action in Milwaukee this year, but it would most likely be as a late-season call-up. Readers, can Joey Ortiz win the third base job and hit well enough to keep it? Where will Monasterio play—starter or utility guy? How soon until we see Black and Wilken in Milwaukee? View full article

Nice report Matthew!!

Great job, Joseph! The bad news? You make the rest of us look like slackers! 😇

Neither does Sgt. Schultz. 🤠

He was a decent player with power and a good arm. Seems he was kinda fast, maybe ran like a ...deer?😁

Rob, you need to come back and be our #4 slugger 🙂

He just seems to be a likeable guy, and I hope those type of players succeed, as well!

Hampton probably won't be big-league ready until the second half, earliest and Lalane? His ETA is 2026 at best and a lot can happen between now and then. Another website proposes Williams for Will Warren, 3B Tyler Hardman, and RHP Justin Lange. I say throw in OF Jace Avina, along with Hampton and Lalane and call it a deal.

I like the potential of both Hall and Ortiz. All the pundits that I have read said Baltimore got the better of the deal. I think Hall can become our next Josh Hader at some point, maybe even this year. Package Williams and Adames for a quality starter and let Ortiz slide into SS. That is my best path for success from these two.

I beat him to it a few weeks back in an article, but my editor took it out and replaced it with 'a combination.' 😪

I think either Carlos F. or Gasser will be the most likely to make a splash from the NRI group. If Clarke or Wilken are that person, the Brewers have a major problem (loss of Contreras or Rhys Lightning).

I like the Hoskins signing. As I mentioned on another post, he will hit 35 HRs *if* he stays healthy. To me, Arroyo, Crow, and Dunn sound like organizational depth...