Andruw Monasterio: Welcome to the Big Leagues
Andruw Monasterio got his first call up to the MLB level on May 27 after Brewers shortstop Willy Adames suffered a concussion from a scary foul ball into the dugout. Since his call-up, Monasterio has been a much-needed spark of contact and speed in the batting order, posting a .257/.335/.350 slash line. In his 66 games played as of the time of writing, Monasterio has added 7 steals in 8 attempts to the impressive big league debut. He has been a defensive utility man, playing primarily at 3B and 2B.
(Aug 27, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Andruw Monasterio slides safely into second base ahead of the tag by San Diego Padres second baseman Matthew Batten in the seventh inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports)
While Monasterio was called up to replace Willy Adames, his instant success and versatility made it clear he was replacing someone else: Luis Urias. Here’s why:
The Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres Trade (2019)
In November of 2019, the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres made a trade, with the Brewers sending SP Zach Davies and ired OF prospect Trent Grisham (who had just fumbled the 2019 NL Wild Card Game away after allowing a Juan Soto ground ball go under his glove, leading to an eventual Nationals World Series run) in return for SP Eric Lauer and INF prospect Luis Urias. While the national media was quick to dissect the trade (most famously with Ken Rosenthal’s immediate proclamation that the Padres won the trade), both teams benefited from the trade once the dust settled.
Today’s trade underscores just how well Padres did acquiring Trent Grisham and Zach Davies for Luis Urias and Eric Lauer. Urias has struggled, prompting trade for Willy Adames. Lauer is back in AAA. Meanwhile, Grisham is becoming a star and Pads used Davies to get Yu Darvish.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 21, 2021
Luis Urias vs. Andruw Monasterio: The Brewers Move On From Urias
Urias played the bulk of the three seasons between 2020 and 2022. Urias showed moments of brilliance offensively, but his offensive production as a whole stagnated and declined with added service time instead of improving. The best slash line posted by Urias came in 2021, going .249/.345/.445, but he severely struggled with the Brewers in 2023, slashing just .145/.299/.236 before being traded to the Red Sox at the trade deadline.
Additionally, Urias became a significantly slower runner despite being in his early-to-mid 20s. His sprint speed percentile decreased annually between 2018-2023: 75, 60, 54, 40, 29, 20. This is a massive drop in speed that is intolerable for a player who should be developing, not regressing, into their prime. As of now, Monasterio rates at the 65th percentile in sprint speed.
This, in combination with his lackluster offensive productivity, made it clear the Brewers could afford to deal him away, as Monasterio had quickly proven he was as good as, if not better than, Urias in nearly every way.
Overall, Andruw Monasterio has freshly entered the league and is already outperforming Luis Urias’ best season from two years ago. Both are the same age, and Monasterio’s superb plate vision, contact, and speed should become part of the Milwaukee Brewers’ plans for the future, sharing many of the same traits found in the Brewers top prospects, allowing him to flourish and produce for Milwaukee in the way that Urias should have, but never did.
(Statistics courtesy baseball-reference; sprint speed percentiles courtesy baseballsavant)
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