Last year, the Milwaukee Brewers saw their shortstop, Willy Adames, put up one of the best offensive seasons by a player at his position in franchise history. He hit .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases. Unfortunately for the team and its fans, that would be Adames’ final year with Milwaukee, as he signed a seven-year $182 million contract with the San Francisco Giants in free agency.
Of course, the Brewers expected Adames to leave in free agency as they were not able (or willing) to pay what other teams would. However, they chose to keep him in 2024 as opposed to trading him because of his leadership in the clubhouse and based on the fact that he gave them the best chance to win.
The Milwaukee Brewers Thought They Had a Good Plan to Replace Willy Adames at Shortstop
After Adames officially left the Brewers for San Francisco, Milwaukee set about trying to identify his replacement. True to their nature, they looked within their own roster instead of the free agent market.
During Spring Training, two candidates emerged as potential everyday shortstops: Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang. Ortiz became the Brewers everyday third baseman in 2024 and hit .239/.329/.398 with 11 home runs, 60 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. Turang won the NL Gold Glove at second base and the Platinum Glove as the league’s best overall defensive player while hitting ..254/.316/.349 with seven home runs, 57 RBI, and 50 stolen bases.
For a while, it looked like Turang had earned the shortstop job because he was getting more playing time their than Ortiz. However, shoulder fatigue late in the spring forced manager Pat Murphy to name Ortiz as the official everyday player at that position.
Unfortunately, it has not gone well.
Joey Ortiz Is the Weakest Link in the Milwaukee Brewers Lineup
On the one hand, keeping Turang at second base has been an absolute great decision for the Brewers. Not only is he playing his usual stellar defense, but he also leads the NL with 41 hits and is slashing .323/.380/.409 with three home runs, 16 RBI, and eight stolen bases.
Unfortunately, Ortiz is not experiencing the same level of success. While his defense has not been poor, his lack of offensive production has become a great concern. Heading into play on Sunday, he was hitting .186/.252/.464 with no home runs and five RBI.
Obviously, it is less than ideal to have a player who starts every day hitting below .200. What makes it worse for Milwaukee is that they do not really have a suitable backup plan. Oliver Dunn, who started the season with the Brewers before getting demoted due to his own poor offensive production, is currently hitting .192/.323/.346 down in Triple-A.
Andruw Monasterio, who is the starting shortstop for the Nashville Sounds, is hitting .255/.341/.418 so far this season, but has struggled to hit Major League pitching whenever he has been called up.
The Brewers do have two excellent prospects who play the position in Jesus Made and Cooper Pratt. However, Made is currently in High-A and Pratt in Double-A. In other words, they are still a ways away from being able to play in the Majors.
As it stands, Milwaukee currently has two options. They can either ride it out with Ortiz and hope that he improves at the plate, or they can try to get another shortstop via trade.
Knowing the Brewers, they will opt to ride it out with Ortiz.
More Milwaukee Brewers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Brewers: 1 Outside the Box Trade Proposal to Address Infield Issues
- Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Frustrated After 6-2 Loss to Cubs, but Not Worried (That Much)
- Rhys Hoskins Makes Honest Admission About Brewers Subpar Season
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