Narváez has struggled mightily all season
The Milwaukee Brewers' offense in general has been a major disappointment throughout the pandemic-shortened 60-game season but no player has been more disappointing individually at the plate than catcher Omar Narváez.
Considered one of the key offseason moves in a trade with Seattle in early December, Narváez got lost at the plate coming out of the chute and never found his way back.
He has experienced issues merely hitting the ball hard at times (23.5% hard-hit rate) while batting .163 with a .547 OPS in 122 plate appearances, with one hit in his last 18 at-bats entering play Saturday.
“I don't have a good answer for you on what's happened to Omar,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I think it's been puzzling. Probably the most puzzling hitter for us this year. Obviously, more so than Christian (Yelich), really.
“He's been stuck all year, unfortunately.”
Narváez, 28, has been terrible across the board offensively but his almost total lack of power has been most concerning. In 132 games for the Mariners last season, he hit 22 home runs and compiled a career-high .460 slugging percentage, giving the Brewers hope for similar production.
In 39 games entering his start behind the plate Saturday night against St. Louis' Adam Wainwright, not only did Narváez have only two home runs, he had just six extra-base hits, and none in 39 plate appearances in September.
The left-handed hitter was batting .155 against right-handers with a strikeout rate of 31.9%, up from 19.1% last year.
Because Narváez has been one of only two active catchers throughout the season, Counsell hasn't had the luxury of giving him four or five days off to clear his heard. Nor has he wanted to with Narváez doing better work defensively.
Power outage
The Brewers are also scratching their heads about the complete loss of power at the plate this season by Avisaíl García.
He hit 18 homers in 2017, 19 in 2018 and 20 in 2019, and at an age (29) where he should be in the prime of his physical capabilities, García instead has two.
With the caveat that the pandemic has affected things in a negative way, García has still managed to help the
Brewers by filling the leadoff spot (27 of 48 starts there) and playing capably in center field after Lorenzo Cain opted out in early August. But he's been largely a singles hitter with only 12 extra-base hits through 51 games to go along with a .246 average and 15 RBI.
García signed a two-year, $20 million free-agent deal with the Brewers last December that includes a $12 million team option for 2022 after hitting .282, driving in 72 runs and slugging .464 over 125 games for Tampa Bay in 2019.
Proud papa Peralta
Freddy Peralta was reinstated from the paternity list Saturday after wife Maritza gave birth to the couple's first child, daughter Norah.
She was born on Friday.