Fifty-three different players took the field for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, but only 25 could make the active roster when the Brewers opened the National League Division Series (NLDS) last Thursday. The group the Brewers elected to bring into their series with the Colorado Rockies is a great example of how quickly things have changed for the organization over the last calendar year. Ten of the 25 members of the active roster (40% of them) were not in the organization at this time a year ago.
Even since April, the winds of change have kept the Brewers’ roster moving. Ten players from March 2018’s Opening Day roster were not included when they picked their best 25 for the NLDS:
Matt Albers got off to a solid enough start as a Brewer, statistically at least, posting a 1.93 ERA with 25 strikeouts and just six walks in his first 28 innings with the team. Things unraveled for him in a meltdown on Monday, June 11, however, leading to a long stint on the disabled list and a dreadful stretch run where he allowed 22 earned runs in his final six and one-third innings. Albers is guaranteed $2.5 million for 2019 but is anything but guaranteed a spot on the Brewers’ roster at this point.
Chase Anderson was the Brewers’ Opening Day starter and earned the nickname “Ace Chanderson” after shutting out the Padres for six innings on just one hit. Things went downhill from there, however, as Anderson struggled to remain consistently effective and was plagued by the long ball, leading all National League pitchers with 30 home runs allowed. He is already under contract for 2019 ($6 million), but the organization’s decision to scratch his last start and leave him off the playoff roster leaves questions about his future.
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Jett Bandy opened the season as Manny Piña’s backup but never really hit enough to stick in the majors, batting just .188 with a .268 on-base percentage and .266 slugging. The Brewers designated him for assignment in May when they acquired Erik Kratz. Bandy remained in the organization but will be a minor league free agent this winter.
Jacob Barnes came into the season expecting to play a key role in the Brewers’ bullpen but saw his innings diminish after a six-outing stretch in late June/early July where he allowed a run in five out of six outings. With Corey Knebel, Josh Hader, Jeremy Jeffress, Xavier Cedeño, Dan Jennings and others all under club control, Barnes could be part of a large group fighting for a few spots in the 2019 bullpen.
Ji-Man Choi was a surprise inclusion on the Opening Day roster and lasted just one day before being returned to the minors to make room on the roster for late-spring addition Dan Jennings. He had some heroic moments as a Brewer, including scoring the game-winning run on Opening Day and hitting a pinch-hit grand slam against the Phillies on Saturday, June 9, but the organization really didn’t have a spot for him and traded him for infielder Brad Miller later in June.
Oliver Drake made 11 relief appearances for the Brewers in April before heading out on a long, strange journey. He was acquired by Cleveland for cash and later claimed off waivers by the Angels, the Blue Jays and the Twins and played in at least one game for each squad, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to play for five teams in one season.
Eric Sogard never really recaptured the magic of his first 37 games as a Brewer in 2017, when he hit .360 with a .471 on-base and .544 slugging. Sogard batted .200/.325/.237 in the final 57 games of that season and .134/.241/.165 in 55 games for the Brewers in 2018 before the organization moved on. He’ll be a free agent this winter.
Brent Suter had several memorable moments on the mound and at the plate this season but lasted just three innings in a start against the Dodgers on Sunday, July 22, and ended up having Tommy John (ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction) surgery. If all goes well, he could be available to return late in the 2019 season.
Eric Thames was off to a hot start in his second season as a Brewer but missed nearly two months with a thumb injury. Jesus Aguilar’s breakout season started during that window, and when he returned, Thames had a hard time finding his way into the lineup. He batted just .208 with a .289 on-base and .426 slugging in sporadic playing time after returning in June. Thames is due $6 million for 2019 but the Brewers’ plans for him are unclear at this point.
Jonathan Villar never recaptured the magic of his breakout 2016 season, and in July, the Brewers gave him a change of scenery by sending him along to Baltimore in the deal that brought Jonathan Schoop to Milwaukee. Villar did well in his new environment, posting a .729 OPS (on-base plus slugging) with 21 steals in 24 attempts for the Orioles. Schoop, meanwhile, had a .577 mark in 46 games for Milwaukee.
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