If there was any excitement for the Milwaukee Brewers‘ 2016 season before it began, almost none of it stemmed from Jonathan Villar.
Even after general manager David Stearns traded Jean Segura to the Arizona Diamondbacks in January, it seemed there was a hint of skepticism as to Villar’s tenure at shortstop despite the public reassurances of manager Craig Counsell.
In fact, only a week into spring training, there was already speculation that he would be ousted from his position by the Brewers’ top prospect Orlando Arcia. Considering that Arcia was already deemed “major league ready” entering the season, the move seemed all but inevitable, jettisoning Villar’s future into a mist of uncertainty.
Despite limited time in the majors, Villar was no stranger to that type of pressure. With the Houston Astros in varying amounts from 2013 to 2015, he was also largely considered temporary. Last season, he was essentially a fill-in for a fill-in, splitting time at shortstop with teammate Marwin Gonzalez, both as placeholders for the injured Jed Lowrie, who was a stand-in for the impending arrival of minor-league phenom Carlos Correa.
Once Correa arrived, Villar was sent back to Triple-A.
The pattern in Milwaukee looked nearly destined to repeat as hype over Arcia flourished throughout spring training.
Even with a solid pre-season showing that won him the job, Villar still had a past didn’t seem to attribute him enough credit to change popular opinion.
He had never previously warranted steady playing time, playing the most of his major-league career, at only 87 games, in 2014.
He posted the best line of his professional career in 2015, batting .284/.339/.414 but was never given enough opportunities to establish himself offensively, as he played only 37 games before Correa arrived, bringing Villar’s major-league regularity to a shuddering halt.
He finished the final month of the season as a utility man, proving his worth by batting .381/.435/.619 with six runs, one home run, four runs batted in, and three stolen bases in only 14 games. Even with flashes of brilliance, he seemed doomed to the fate of a bench bat or a fill-in.
But regular playing time in Milwaukee suited the young switch-hitter perfectly. By July, he was batting .299/.380/.430 with six home runs, 30 RBI, and 26 stolen bases (75 games).
With the looming arrival of Arcia and the trade deadline nearing, rumors again began to circulate that the team might try to move him. Even with Stearns’ public acknowledgement that they were not intent on trading Villar, it stood to reason that then was as good of a time as any, considering his value had never been higher.
After Arcia’s arrival forced Villar to third base, he shifted into an even higher gear, producing more across the board in the last 60 games than he had in his first 75. Since Aug. 2, he’s lowered his average and on-base percentage just slightly, while ramping his slugging up, batting .296/.370/.504. He’s also added another 40 runs, 24 RBI, nine home runs, and 27 stolen bases – all in 15 fewer games.
In his last 11 games alone, he’s hitting .310/.356/.786 with nine RBI, three stolen bases, and five home runs, two of which came against the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday night, when he switch hit one each in the fourth and eighth innings.
Even if he doesn’t finish the season on the torrid pace he’s been on since April, it seems that the Brewers may have one hell of an unforeseen cornerstone in a rebuild that is just starting to poke its head through the surface.
Jonathan Powell is the Managing Editor of Outside Pitch MLB and the Milwaukee Brewers writer. Follow him on Twitter @jonathannashhh.
The post Milwaukee Brewers’ Jonathan Villar: From little-known to cornerstone appeared first on OutsidePitchMLB.
