Sogard has made a major impact
NEW YORK – Eric Thames paid Eric Sogard the ultimate compliment Wednesday night after the Milwaukee Brewers defeated the New York Mets, 7-1, at Citi Field.
“He’s such a professional player,” Thames said. “He’s one of the leaders in this clubhouse. Everybody looks up to him because of his leadership.”
How many times do you hear an everyday player pay that tribute to a reserve? That’s the kind of impact Sogard has made since the Brewers called him up from Class AAA Colorado Springs on May 12.
Beyond his constant preparedness and readiness to play when called upon, the 31-year-old utility player certainly gives you professional at-bats. He did so again in that game against the Mets, drawing three walks and adding a single to his performance in the leadoff spot.
Sogard was back at it Thursday, singling in his first two at-bats in the Brewers' 2-1 victory. He is hitting .410 (16 for 39) in 16 games with an incredible .566 on-base percentage and 1.233 OPS. In 53 plate appearances, he has drawn 13 walks while striking out only twice.
The joke in the clubhouse is that all Sogard atbats should begin with 3-2 counts to cut to the chase because that’s how good he is at working the count.
“I think (pitch recognition) is a skill for players,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s certainly something you look for in scouting. But it’s also developed. Most guys get better at it as they go. For Eric, it’s always been part of his game. Now, as he is more experienced, it’s probably at its best.
“He uses it to his advantage. It’s something he knows is part of his offensive game and something he is good at. When you see walks and strikeouts like that, the way the pitching is in the game today, guys walking more than striking out is very uncommon right now.
“The positive thing for me is it’s not a passive approach. He’s not being passive at the plate. He’s swinging the bat. He’s just not swinging at bad pitches.”
Entering this season, Sogard had 1,210 at-bats in the major leagues, all with Oakland. He had not shown this ability to get on base so often during that time, compiling a .295 OBP with 92 walks and 269 strikeouts.
And Sogard always has worn eyeglasses on the field, so that’s not new. So, why is he seeing the ball better than ever?
“I’m just more relaxed up there,” he said. “It’s allowing me to see the ball better, see the ball longer, and make better decisions. Not chase as many (bad) pitches. The goal is to get on base in front of (Thames) and let him do what he does best.”
Counsell put Sogard and Thames in the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the lineup again in the series finale against the Mets, and said younger players on the club could learn a lot from watching that duo. Thames also has been good at working counts, resulting in 34 walks and 48 strikeouts in 204 plate appearances.
“It’s certainly something to watch,” Counsell said. “Everybody wants to watch guys having success, too.
“With this run that (Sogard) has had, there’s no doubt all the eyes in the dugout are on him. What he’s doing is hard to do. It’s rare.”
Slow and steady: Ryan Braun came to New York with the club to continue working with the athletic training staff in his recovery from a recurring calf strain that landed him on the 10-day disabled list for the second time.
Braun is eligible to be activated Monday but will miss that date by quite a few days, it would appear.
“It’s too early to talk about any of that right now,” he said. “We aren’t even close to talking about that. It’s still too early.”
When Braun is ready to play, he said he would go on a minor-league rehab assignment this time to avoid what happened the first time, when he came back for only a few games before the calf strain reoccurred.
“We’ll do that just to be sure,” he said.
Blazek starting: The Brewers have been stretching out right-hander Michael Blazek as a starter at Colorado Springs after several seasons of pitching in relief. Over his last three starts, he has allowed nine hits and two runs in 132⁄3 innings (1.32 ERA) with six walks and 15 strikeouts.
“It’s not necessarily a role change,” general manager David Stearns said. “But there is an opportunity for starts at Colorado Springs. He’s adapted to that pretty well. It’s getting him more consistent usage so we’ll probably run with that for a little while.
“It gives us an option, so that’s a good thing. He does have starting in his background.”