When Milwaukee Brewers manager Craig Counsell said the team has ‘no bench’ early in the season, he wasn’t being facetious, he was being prudent.
His statement, which was meant to imply that daily lineups were largely fluid between the traditional “starters” and “bench players,” has so far not only been effective, but kept the team’s versatility at the forefront of early-season conversation.
With the current 25-man roster, Counsell has literally every position covered by two players, if not more, giving him a routine chance to play matchups and provide rest without compromising offensive or defensive potency.
But it’s not just the highlight reel that’s acting as evidence — the stat sheets also seem to confirm that the team, barring the discord of some of the pitching staff, is producing results regardless of who is penned into the lineup.
Fans need no further proof than Sunday’s epic comeback against the New York Mets. With their most tenured and productive three-hole hitter Ryan Braun on the disabled list and their cleanup batter Travis Shaw, who left in the top of the sixth with a finger injury, painfully unavailable, Milwaukee stormed back from a six-run deficit to win 11-9 in the most dramatic of fashions.
It would be difficult to discuss the team’s ‘bench’ without mentioning Jett Bandy and Manny Pina, especially since the latter eviscerated a 3-2 pitch from Addison Reed on Sunday, capping the eighth-inning rally and sealing the sweep over the Mets with a three-run shot to left center.
While neither is truly a bench player given that they’ve formed a remarkably effective tandem behind the plate at 22 and 21 games respectively, there’s no denying their effectiveness whether they start or not. Pina is slashing .319/.355/.500 with seven doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI while Bandy is slashing .284/.329/.554 with five doubles, five home runs and 11 RBI. When one starts, the other pinch hits, and neither seem to be hampered by the definition of their opportunities.
Hernan Perez, the team’s ultimate utility man who posted only a .179/.273/.308 line in his first 15 games, has been on absolute fire, slashing .348/.380/.682 with six doubles, two triples, four home runs, 14 RBI and two stolen bases in his last 17 appearances — all while playing six different positions. Even more importantly, in over half of those games he’s been slotted in the three-hole and has kept up with, if not exceeded expectations for that spot in the order.
In a similar fashion, Jesus Aguilar, who was giving Thames a run for his money in Spring Training before slumping in early-season spot starts, has given the team everything they could ask and more after being picked off waivers in February. With Thames’ potential to play the outfield corners — albeit with irregularity given the potential for fatigue and injury — the team has been able to both pinch hit Aguilar and put him on first, and as of late, the situation doesn’t seem to matter to him or his bat.
While his .273/.310/.509 triple slash line, two home runs, 10 RBI and 18:3 strikeout to walk ratio may not jump off the page, much of it can be written off as early-season woes influenced by somewhat sporadic playing time and getting into mid-season form. In his last 11 games, Aguilar is slashing .467/.467/1.200 and has collected three doubles, one triple, two home runs and six RBI, all while striking out only three times. Despite his line being skewed by an early slump, Aguilar has been one of the team’s most clutch batters, slashing .353/.389/.529 with eight RBI with runners in scoring position. And like Perez, who has played in 32 of the team’s 38 games, he has also seen a fair amount of playing time for what would traditionally be considered a ‘bench player,’ appearing in 35 so far.
If there is anyone that may not exemplify the manager’s newest tactic, it’s Nick Franklin, but even he has seen playing time in 25 games already this season. While his contributions have been limited (.196/.213/.326, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB), his sheer usage implies that Counsell is not afraid to spread playing time around — Kirk Niewenhuis also played in 15 of 17 games before his departure.
Even Eric Sogard, who is likely just a placeholder until Braun returns from the disabled list, contributed immediately after being called up, sending a two-run shot into the stands and helping to push the Brewers to a 7-4 win over the Mets on Friday.
While players like Franklin and Sogard may not stick with the team with so many prospects waiting in the wings, their implementation does bring quite a bit of clarity to a strategy that seemed to raise more eyebrows than hope in the early goings.
If and when Milwaukee does decide to bring some of its top talent into the major league fold, it seems that few, if any, will be short on playing time. And if they’re able to pace or even outproduce the players who currently grace the roster, the Brewers could be in competitive shape without pulling out their checkbook mid-way through the season — injuries, slumps and all.
Jonathan Powell is the Managing Editor of Outside Pitch MLB and the Milwaukee Brewers writer. Follow him on Twitter @jonathannashhh.
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