Braun goes first in Series draft
The Milwaukee Brewers kicked off their Blue & Gold World Series on Tuesday night at Miller Park, but the first true upset came before the first pitch was even thrown.
Avisaíl García, named a team captain by manager Craig Counsell and awarded the first overall pick in the draft, selected outfielder Ryan Braun with his initial choice in the 30-minute event.
That left Omar Narvaez, García’s counterpart, to make maybe the easiest choice of all-time. Christian Yelich, anyone? “I mean, that’s the option I got,” Narvaez said. “I had to.”
Landing the 2018 National League most valuable player and runner-up MVP in 2019 was quite the coup for Narvaez, who was also fortunate to stock his outfield with Ben Gamel, swinging what has easily been the hottest bat so far in summer camp.
“Right off the bat, a little curveball into the thing,” said third-base coach Ed Sedar.
García, meanwhile, had a simple answer when asked why he passed on taking one of the game’s top players.
“I want to compete against the best,” he said.
Narvaez wasn’t buying Garcia’s explanation, instead accusing his teammate of trying to play politics.
“No, because (if I took Yelich) then you’ll say ‘Oh, wow, you took Yeli, blah blah blah.’ So I took Brauny,” García said. “He’s a great player, and let’s let give Omar Yeli. “Come on, bro. It’s not political.” Sedar later provided additional detail regarding how the draft – emceed by bench coach Pat Murphy – actually was conducted.
“It was awesome,” Sedar said. “There were cool pictures that would sometimes come up. You either could pick this or him. It wasn’t like picking right out of a hat. You had choices between two people.
“Wives and families got involved by sending pictures, so you’d look up at the screen going, ‘Who is that?’
“It was very entertaining.”
Sedar, speaking to reporters later in the afternoon, then broke some big news: Braun and Yelich ultimately swapped teams.
“Big trade already happened,” he said. “Brauny and (Orlando) Arcia were traded from Avi’s team over to Omar’s team for Yeli and (Eric) Sogard. I think it had more to do with one team had all righthanders and they were facing (Brandon Woodruff) today and the game probably would have been over in 40 minutes.”
The good-natured back and forth is all part of the fun, and undoubtedly what Counsell was hoping for when he instituted the series and installed García and Narvaez – themselves former teammates with the Chicago White Sox – as team captains.
The more newcomers like García and Narvaez can experience their new home at Miller Park, the better.
Counsell estimated that each player will get between 20 and 25 at-bats overall in game situations before the opener July 24 at Wrigley Field. The Brewers have one “true” exhibition game scheduled for July 22 at the White Sox.
Regulars normally log 50-some in Cactus League play during a normal spring.
“For now, I’m trying to hit the ball,” Narvaez said. “It all depends on the situation. It will never be the same as (a regular) spring training when you get close to 50 at-bats. I’ve been trying to do things similar to a game.
“We’ll try to be ready for the season. What we’re going to start today will get us closer to what we should be in the season. As long as we compete, we’re going to forget how many ABs we get. Once you compete, you forget everything.”
Narvaez is new to the team and, after spending four weeks in spring training learning the pitching staff, he’s trying to familiarize himself with his battery mates once again.
Zoom calls during the threemonth shutdown helped, but nothing can match hands-on experience.
“I think the Brewers have done a really good job,” Narvaez said. “I’ve had the chance to catch everybody, so now I know everybody. I know their strengths and their weaknesses.”
Family comes first
García, who lives in Miami, is in a rough spot when it comes to wife Anakarina and their two children, daughter Annarella and son Avi, who remained home when he reported to summer camp. Florida has become the nation’s hot spot in terms of COVID-19 infections, but he doesn’t want to risk air travel for them, either.
“My kids are going to stay home,” García said. “My wife will come for a little bit, but I don’t want my kids to take a plane, with masks on. It’s going to be hard for them. I don’t want to put them in that position. I’ll have to be patient and live by myself.
“Miami is dangerous right now. Hopefully, it gets better. We’ve got to stay positive. It’s going to be a quick season.”
García said it didn’t feel normal to be home for three months during the game’s shutdown but admitted it was nice to spend time with the family that he wouldn’t otherwise have.
“It was sad because we’re not playing baseball, we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do,” he said. “But at the same time, I can’t control that. Nobody can control that.
“I had a good time with my little kids. It wasn’t normal but at the same time I enjoyed it. I taught my little girl to ride a bike, and all those little things that matter. It was great for me.”
As for the COVID-19 protocols put in place for players, on and off the field, García said it’s impossible not to take the situation seriously.
“You have to be really careful,” he said. “If you touch something, you have to wash your hands. We feel fear. Everybody is a little bit scared. For me, that’s not good. You have a little fear, you’re scared. That’s the most complicated thing for me.
“We have rules, we have to stay away from people, so we’ll just try to do our best to stay healthy and try to get the season played.”