That is what is maddening…they brought him back in 2023 by giving him $2 million! Does that sound like they were convinced he couldn’t play at the major league level. And more importantly, he had better OPS than about anyone on the Brewers team in 2022!
And then when ALL our backups/DH cannot hit with a laughable OPS around the lows.600 and dead last in 2023 (even with great Sept. numbers), the top hitting guy in almost all AAA cannot come up and hit EVEN then. EVEN THEN!
So all who want to defend the Brewers and be company guys with this, you have no leg to stand on. And to make matters even worse, Winker and his awful season gets miraculously put on our postseason roster after six weeks hurt/minors and is the first person to pinch hit against a righty vs the Braves. The boos are still resounding in some darkened corner in AmFam with that.
I would have loved to have seen Hiura get an opportunity here last year at DH in the lower part of the order. He could have played poorly and outhit whatever we threw out there…,backup catchers. Give him the at bats and routine (in 2022 hit in every spot of the order- remarkable, and played in four different positions in the field….even then he outhit most of the team!) and he might actually be a player that isn’t so easily brushed aside.