Suter has up-and-down beginning
Every year, one player seems to fill the role of human “yo-yo” between the majors and Class AAA. For the Brewers last season, it was reliever David Goforth, who should have been nicknamed “Go Back and Forth.”
The early leader this season is left-hander Brent Suter, who was recalled from Colorado Springs on April 4, the day after the Brewers’ season opener and two days before the Sky Sox’s opener.
Four days later, Suter was optioned back to Colorado Springs to make room on the roster for utility player Nick Franklin, claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay. With the Brewers in need of another arm in the bullpen, Suter was recalled Friday and threw three innings of shutout relief in a 6-3 loss to St. Louis.
In the midst of all of that up and down, Suter made one start for the Sky Sox on April 15, pitching five shutout innings. So, what’s it like packing and unpacking your bags so often?
“I actually prepared for it a little bit,” Suter said Saturday. “Once I got optioned out this spring, I said, ‘I’m always going to have my bag packed and be ready to go, anytime and any place.’
“I’ve had that nomadic mindset to start the season, so that’s been good. To be honest, after that tough outing I had against the Cubs (four runs in one inning April 8) and being sent down on top of that, the next couple of days were kind of down.
“Every time you get called up, you hope you’re here the rest of your life but it doesn’t always work out like that. That’s reality. You have to step back and say, ‘I’m right on the fence to the big leagues. So, my dream is coming true every couple of weeks.’ You can’t lose sight of the gratitude factor.”
Suter, 27, provides value in a couple ways. He is a rare lefty in the bullpen and also is capable of going multiple innings because of his background as a starting pitcher.
Those two factors almost guarantee he will go back and forth from the minors, depending on need. The Brewers already have announced that Matt Garza will come off the disabled list Monday to start against Cincinnati, with lefty Tommy Milone moving to the bullpen.
Suter is well aware that means he’ll likely return to Colorado Springs after the game Sunday afternoon against St. Louis.
“I’m expecting to go back down,” he said. “But, whatever happens, happens. I’m just taking it one day at a time. That’s really all I can do.”
Waiting game: To make room on the roster, the Brewers designated outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis for assignment. If he is not claimed by another club when placed on waivers, the Brewers have seven days to trade him, release him or send him to the minors outright.
Nieuwenhuis is on a split contract that pays him $900,000 in the majors and $257,000 in the minors. Because he has been outrighted before, he could refuse the assignment and become a free agent, but he would forfeit the minor-league salary.
The Brewers are starting three top outfield prospects at Colorado Springs in Lewis Brinson, Brett Phillips and Ryan Cordell, but general manager David Stearns said he wouldn’t be opposed to sending Nieuwenhuis there.
“I think in Triple-A you can get creative with at-bats,” Stearns said. “There are DHs in half the games we play. If he stays with the organization, I think we could find at-bats.”
Better swings: Switch-hitting second baseman Jonathan Villar, who began the season in a terrible slump, went 4 for 9 in the first two games against the Cardinals, showing signs of getting going. Recalling an outstanding round of batting practice Villar had before the series opener, manager Craig Counsell didn’t seem surprised.
“He had a really good BP session Thursday that I thought looked right,” Counsell said. “It was just right, very well done. Certainly, lefthanded. Right-handed, he’s still got a little work to do. We were working on that today, early.
“I wish I could put it all into words. That’s the secret of hitting. It’s just what you see. After you see a hitter have hundreds of at-bats, up close, you get a feel for when he’s going right and when he’s a little off.”