The Milwaukee Brewers clearly see something in Angel Zerpa. While the former Royals southpaw offers upside and flexibility, trading Nick Mears and Isaac Collins for a relief pitcher with a 4.18 ERA last year could be seen as a questionable overpay. In particular, although Collins fell off concerningly down the stretch, the move leaves Milwaukee with a sizable hole in the outfield, without enough platoon answers to patch it.
Brewers have one less option to work with at suddenly compromised position
Jackson Chourio can play anywhere. Sal Frelick is your starting right fielder. After those two, the way the roster stands now, the Brewers would rely on Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell to patrol center. Christian Yelich can start here and there in the corners. Jake Bauers is another option, though not a good one defensively. In the lineup, the Brewers have mostly limited him to at-bats against right-handed pitchers.
In theory, that all works out fine. In practice, it leaves the team precariously thin.
Perkins and Mitchell will be coming off a season in which both dealt with major injury. Mitchell in particular has been injury prone most of his career. As good as Perkins is with the glove, he is not a starting-caliber player. The less Yelich plays the field, the better – both for his health and the quality of the Brewers’ outfield defense.
Bauers is a platoon bat with a .211 career average. Per Baseball Info Solutions, he has saved -11 runs in the outfield in 176 career starts (-1 runs last year per both BIS and Statcast).
Of course, it’s not like Collins was the answer. He was, though, another option, a one-time Rookie of the Year candidate, and by his overall numbers, by far the team’s best third outfielder last season.
Even with a poor finish, the switch-hitting Collins hit .263/.368/.411 with nine home runs, 54 RBIs, and a 2.1 WAR in 372 games. He also stole 16 bases.
It’s perfectly fair to point out that he went 9-56 between September and the playoffs. That Pat Murphy felt like he could not even play Collins during the final month is obviously a problem.
Unless the Brewers go out and get someone, however, to fill the final outfield spot they are looking primarily at a rotation of Perkins, Mitchell, and Bauers, with a sprinkling of Yelich. Not only will they be hoping for production, they’ll be counting on good health from unreliable sources in Perkins and Mitchell. If this is the answer to their outfield questions, it’s just not good enough.
For More Great Wisconsin Content
Follow me on X at @ezsniper14 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
