The Milwaukee Brewers are cruising a five-game winning streak as they enter a three game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. At 36-23, they lead the National League Central Division by seven games over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Craig Counsell-led Chicago Cubs are currently in third place, followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.
Milwaukee’s seven-game divisional lead is the largest divisional league in baseball. Both the Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers lead their respective divisions by six-and-a-half games.
Even though it is still early in the season, to get to this point while leading the division has been a complete team effort. Veterans like Willy Adames and William Contreras have helped establish a no-quit attitude in the dugout, as was put on display on Sunday when both fought their way back into the Brewers’ lineup.
While the contributions of veterans cannot be overstated, neither can those of several rookie players that have stepped up in big ways all season.
Milwaukee Brewers Third Baseman Joey Ortiz Has Stepped Up All Season
One of these rookies is third baseman Joey Ortiz, who has played in 52 of Milwaukee’s 59 games this season. Originally acquired by the Brewers in the trade of Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles, Ortiz has done everything Milwaukee has asked of him, and more.
So far this season, Ortiz has played third base primarily, but has also made appearances at shortstop and second base. He is currently hitting .293/.391/.894 with five home runs and 21 RBI. He also has 12 doubles and two triples so far.
Not only has Ortiz been a consistent bat, he has been a consistent bat wherever manager Pat Murphy has decided to put him in the batting order. Typically, he is found in the bottom third of the order; but recently has been shifted to the leadoff spot whenever Milwaukee faces a left-handed starter.
Whenever he is hitting at the top of the batting order, Ortiz is batting .300/.462/.500. He also has thrived from the eighth and ninth spots in the order, hitting .421/.511/.790 and .348/.375/.565 respectively from those spots.
Milwaukee Brewers Third Baseman Joey Ortiz Wins National League Rookie of the Month for May
Earlier today, the Brewers shared on social media that Ortiz had been named the National League Rookie of the Month:
A star is born ‼️ pic.twitter.com/OHVvp3QeGm
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 3, 2024
Ortiz is just the eighth Brewers player ever to win a Rookie of the Month Award, and the first to do so since Keston Hiura in 2019.
In the month of May, Ortiz hit .307/.391/.587 with four home runs, 12 RBI, and seven doubles. He also walked nine times compared to just 11 strikeouts.
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