Covering the spring training bases
Turn the page.
That’s what the Milwaukee Brewers will be doing when pitchers and catchers report to newly renovated and renamed Brewers Fields of Phoenix on Wednesday to get ready for another spring training.
Yes, the 2018 season was an exciting one, particularly down the stretch. The Brewers came within one victory of advancing to their first World Series since 1982, winning 12 games in a row, including the first four of the postseason. Free hamburgers from George Webb for the first time since 1987!
Though providing great thrills for both players and fans, that’s history now. You can’t look back in baseball for fear of being left behind. Time to move on and focus on a new season.
“The focus has to go to 2019; that’s where it’s at for us at this point,” manager Craig Counsell said recently. “We’ve got to be looking forward. We’ve got to be looking ahead, what’s next, how we get a little better.
“Those are the challenges that are ahead. Fans should look forward to seeing a good team. That’s our responsibility. We believe it. We know it. And now it’s time for us to go out and start proving it again.”
With that in mind, here’s a primer for the 2019 Brewers spring training:
The lowdown
Where: Brewers Fields of Phoenix, 3600 N. 51st Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona.
Pitchers and catchers report: Wednesday.
First official workout: Thursday. Position players report: Monday. First full-squad workout: Tuesday, Feb. 19.
Daily workouts: Usually start around 10 a.m. and are open to public.
First Cactus League game: Saturday, Feb. 23, at Cubs, 2:05 p.m. Central.
First Cactus League home game: Tuesday, Feb. 26 vs. Padres, 2:05 p.m. Central.
Last Cactus League game: Sunday, March 24, at Diamondbacks, 2:10 p.m. Central.
Extra exhibition games: Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26 vs. Blue Jays at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Both games at 6:05 p.m. Central.
Five things to watch
Ace up their sleeve: Right-hander Jimmy Nelson missed the entire 2018 season while recovering from shoulder surgery but is cleared to throw again. Always aggressive in nature, Nelson proclaimed at the "Brewers On Deck" fan festival in late January that he not only planned to make the rotation, but his goal is to start on opening day. How realistic that is remains to be seen, and the Brewers certainly will be cautious until they see how game-ready he is.
Influence of Yasmani Grandal: Counsell said that Grandal, the team's big off-season acquisition, already was tossing out ideas about handling the pitching staff that could prove valuable. Grandal is a veteran with a reputation for handling himself well behind the plate, though prone at times to committing passed balls. The Brewers have two other veterans returning, Manny Piña and Erik Kratz, with only one likely to make the roster. Prospect Jacob Nottingham also should benefit from Grandal's presence in camp.
A time share at second base: Barring a late – very late, in fact – signing of an established second baseman, Counsell said he expects the position to be shared, likely meaning a righty-lefty platoon. The left-handed bat in the picture is newcomer Cory Spangenberg. The righties in play include super utility player Hernán Pérez and Tyler Saladino. While that scenario unfolds, it will be fun to watch the progress of prospects Mauricio Dubon, coming off a torn ACL, and Keston Hiura, the heir apparent at the position.
Expanding his horizons: Last spring, Counsell gave Ryan Braun time at first base to try to ease an outfield logjam. With Domingo Santana and Keon Broxton traded over the winter, that might no longer be necessary. Jesús Aguilar and Eric Thames are still on hand but that doesn't mean this will be a platoon. While Thames missed six weeks with a thumb injury last season, Aguilar seized the job and refused to relinquish it en route to a breakthrough all-star season. Some expected Thames to be traded but that has yet to happen.
Know your floor plan: Since the Brewers exited spring training in 2018, their facility has been greatly renovated and expanded. It also has been renamed. Goodbye, Maryvale Baseball Park. Hello, Brewers Fields of Phoenix. All of the players – major-leaguers and minor-leaguers – now will operate out of a new, centrally located building. With a vastly changed campus, it will take some time to get the lay of the land after 20 years of basically no changes. The good news for fans attending games is that the main stadium is mostly unchanged.
Staff
Manager: Craig Counsell (fifth season, 316-308).
Coaches: Bench coach Pat Murphy, pitching coach Chris Hook, hitting coach Andy Haines, third base coach Ed Sedar, first base coach Carlos Subero, bullpen coach Steve Karsay, assistant hitting coach Jason Lane.
40-man roster
Pitchers (22): RH Matt Albers, RH Chase Anderson, RH Jacob Barnes, RHP Corbin Burnes, RH Jhoulys Chacín, LH Alex Claudio, RH Zach Davies, RH Marcos Diplan, RH Junior Guerra, LH Josh Hader, RH Adrian Houser, RH Jeremy Jeffress, RH Corey Knebel, RH Jimmy Nelson, RH Freddy Peralta, RH Jake Petricka, RH Trey Supak, LH Brent Suter, RH Bobby Wahl, RH Aaron Wilkerson, RH Taylor Williams, RH Brandon Woodruff.
Catchers (4): Yasmani Grandal, Erik Kratz, Jacob Nottingham, Manny Piña.
Infielders (8): 1B Jesús Aguilar, SS Orlando Arcia, 2B/SS Mauricio Dubon, UTIL Hernán Pérez, UTIL Tyler Saladino, 3B/2B Travis Shaw, UTIL Cory Spangenberg, 1B Eric Thames.
Outfielders (6): LF Ryan Braun, CF Lorenzo Cain, LF/RF Ben Gamel, LF Troy Stokes Jr., LF/RF Tyrone Taylor, RF Christian Yelich.
Non-roster invitees
Pitchers (7): LH Zack Brown, RH Bubba Derby, RH Deolis Guerra, RH Jon Olczak, LH Angel Perdomo, RH Miguel Sanchez, RH Burch Smith.
Catchers (2): Tuffy Gosewisch, Payton Henry.
Infielders (4): 3B Lucas Erceg, UTIL Jake Hager, 2B Keston Hiura, UTIL Nate Orf.
Outfielders (1): CF Corey Ray.
Major additions
C Yasmani Grandal, OF Ben Gamel, INF Cory Spangenberg, LHP Alex Claudio, RHP Jake Petricka, RHP Bobby Wahl.
Major losses
LHP Wade Miley, 3B Mike Moustakas, RHP Joakim Soria, INF Jonathan Schoop, OF Domingo Santana, OF Keon Broxton, LHP Dan Jennings, OF Curtis Granderson.