Robertson one of many versatile bench players
If things fall Daniel Robertson's way this spring, he'll win the job as the Milwaukee Brewers' primary third baseman.
But if that doesn't happen, that's OK, too. Robertson knows he still projects to be an asset as someone who can contribute at a multitude of positions on a team that holds such players in high regard.
It's a mindset that Robertson traces back to his final season with the Tampa Bay Rays. And it didn't come easily.
"Specifically in 2019, it was a debacle, man," Robertson recounted Thursday. "I came into spring hoping to wrap up one position, we brought some guys in and just the thinking of who's where and this and that, it messed with me."
Robertson went from hitting .262 with a .797 OPS, six home runs and 34 runs batted in over 87 games in 2018 to a line of .213/.607/2/19 in 74 games the
following season.
He never made it back to the majors with the Rays, who traded him for cash to the San Francisco Giants last August.
Robertson got a 13-game cup of coffee with them in September and then signed a one-year, $900,000 deal that included an additional $400,000 in incentives in mid-January.
"He had a nice major-league season with the Rays, at a young age. That's something that was certainly attractive to us," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell. "I think there's a difference with the term 'utility player' and a multiposition player who can get on the field a lot.
"Those guys, we don't call them utility players. That's not the right term for them. I think Daniel can get on the field a lot at different positions. He's unlikely to get on the field at just one position, I think."
Indeed, Robertson arrives having logged major-league innings at seven positions (including two innings at pitcher) with 94 starts at second base, 57 at shortstop and 52 at third.
While he's likely to see the majority of time in spring training in the outfield — the Brewers utilize camp as a way to familiarize their multi-position players with unfamiliar positions — Robertson's most obvious path to playing time in the regular season figures to be third base while backing up at second and in the corner outfield spots.
It's not easy splitting time between so many positions. But if a player can do it well, he can carve out a nice niche as Hernán Pérez did from 2015-19 with the Brewers.
So, he's focusing on utilizing all the different gloves in his equipment bag the best he can this spring and given up playing the numbers game in his head when it comes to trying to extrapolate the roster.
40
6
By the numbers 5
Players officially listed as infield/outfield on the Brewers' spring-training roster (Robertson, Mathias, Peterson, Lopes and Reyes).
Career homers for Vogelbach from 2018-20, with 30 of those coming in 2019 (when he was an AL all-star).
2
Career minor-league innings in the outfield for Mathias before playing 71 — without an error — for the Brewers in 2020
16
Positions Peterson hasn't started a game in during his seven-year career in the majors — catcher and pitcher (not including DH).
Pinch hits by the Brewers in 2020, tied with the Giants for the major-league lead.
"I've gotten so used to playing all over the place, honestly," said Robertson, a 2012 first-round pick of the Oakland A's in 2012. He turns 27 on March 22 and has 249 major-league games to his credit over parts of four seasons.
"I was drafted as a third baseman, came up through the minor leagues as a shortstop, picked up second base during Triple-A, debuted in '17 and made the team because I can play all over the place, and I enjoy doing that. I take a lot of pride in my defensive versatility.
"Obviously, I've had to put in some neurological work to get over that hump, but I'm at a point now where I'm just kind of worrying about what I can control and just go from there and just be ready for whatever opportunity presents itself over the course of a season."
While Robertson heads the list, there are a number of other players with similar skill sets who are also in camp and will likely play roles this season as reserves.
The familiar faces are Mark Mathias and Jace Peterson, who is back on a minor-league deal.
Mathias impressed with his versatility last spring and hit .278 while playing five different positions in 16 games as he made his major-league debut. Peterson, a well-traveled veteran, showed a little pop with a couple homers while also playing five positions in 26 games.
New to the Brewers are Tim Lopes and Pablo Reyes, who were claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively.
Lopes made 52 starts between left and right field the last two seasons with limited exposure at second and third base, while Reyes split 35 starts across all three outfield positions with three each at second and third in 2018 and '19.
One prominent multi-position player who remains in limbo for the time being is Daniel Vogelbach, who would be a tailor-made designated hitter but also plays first base — a spot that Keston Hiura will now be playing the lion's share of the time.
"Obviously as of now there's no DH. That's not something that I'm following closely because it's not something I can control and quite frankly something I have zero control over it just like everybody else does," Vogelbach said.
"My goal every day is to get better at first base and prove that I can play first base and do what I can to help this team win. That's basically all I'm focused on heading into spring training — being as good as I can in the opportunities that are presented to help this team win."
Vogelbach hit .328/.987/4/12 in 19 games with Milwaukee last season after being claimed off waivers from Seattle with 16 starts coming at DH. If the universal DH isn't part of the National League in 2021, the Brewers will have some decisions to make.
"His strength is the offensive game he brings to the table," Counsell said. "He's going to work hard at his defense, that's clear. We haven't had to push him on that. He wants as much work as we can possibly give him. So, our goal this spring is just to spend time with him defensively.
"He definitely understands that it's his best path to the field and more playing time right now. It's important that we give that to him and that will protect us in case we have to go to some different plans."
It would appear as though Omar Narváez and Manny Piña rank 1-2 on the catching depth chart, with Piña slotting in as the backup if Narváez can bounce back from his horrible offensive showing in 2020.
Piña turns 34 on June 5 and is coming off knee surgery but brings everything a team would want as a backup — especially defensively and with his familiarity with the bulk of Milwaukee's pitching staff.
Jacob Nottingham and Luke Maile both have major-league experience and are on the 40-man roster as well, with Nottingham showing he's made strides both offensively and defensively in a 20-game audition last season.