Somewhere sunny and 75º. I felt a twinge of guilt leaving Milwaukee in the snow last weekend to cover Brewers spring training. But that guilt evaporated like my first coat of sunscreen on my bald head.
The goal of the weekly notebook this spring is to bring you thoughts and observations from the Brewers over the next month or so in Phoenix. And also some FAQs from the fanbase on a variety of topics.
How is Christian Yelich doing?
He’s doing just fine. Yelich told the media he resumed hitting on schedule in the middle of January and has been a full participant in drills around the complex. He expects to be on the Opening Day roster – which is a reminder why his 2024 season was cut short in the first place.
The options he had to choose from were the following: the surgery path he ultimately picked meant he would sacrifice the end of 2024 to be ready for 2025 and beyond. The other path, continue non-surgical treatments and risk a timeline that doesn’t mitigate his discomfort and could also takes a large chunk out of the 2025 season.
This is your friendly reminder that Spring Training is a very long five and half weeks. There is no “Cactus League crown” as Pat Murphy reminds the media everyday. Yelich will get his work in on the backfields before he appears in games, there are plenty of at-bats to go around.
Yelich has been a full participant in camp. From my semi-trained eye, he looks like an MLB veteran who is getting ready for the season. Nothing further to alarm or note, which in my opinion, is exactly what you want to hear coming off of back surgery. The Brewers will make sure he has every opportunity he needs to be ready for the season.
“I don’t know’s on third”
It’s not an Abbott & Costello bit, the infield picture is not much clearer than it was in December after Willy Adames departed for San Francisco and the Crew acquired Caleb Durbin from the Yankees.
We can forecast the main candidates for the infield picture from the first week of workouts. At first base, Rhys Hoskins will still be slated for the majority of starts, but Murph revealed Tyler Black would be taking the majority of his reps at first as opposed to third.
“It’s a matter of [Black] performing, kind of getting within himself and not letting all of the outside stuff bother him and just present who he is authentically,” Murph said. “And I think once he does, we’ve got ourselves a good ballplayer.”
Up the middle, could the Brewers consider moving Platinum Glover Brice Turang to shortstop – a position he played plenty of on his way up the Brewers organization? That would put a platoon of Caleb Durbin and Oliver Dunn at second base in his departure, while locking in Joey Ortiz at third base.
Or could you switch that platoon to third, to keep Turang at second, and slide Ortiz to shortstop – where he played in college and in the Orioles farm system. The Brewers are confident with either option at short, but it’s a matter of the vacancy filled by either Joey or Brice’s former position.
All the while, you still have utility-man Andruw Monasterio available too, who actually started at third base on Opening Day last season.
“Whoever that third piece is [Durbin, Dunn, Monasterio], what’s the best position for them?” Murph explained. There may not be a “perfect” combination, but ideally the alignment they choose would allow Ortiz and Turang to fill their role as an everyday player.
Preparing for calls without Mr. Baseball
The first spring training broadcast is the opener on Saturday here on WTMJ at 2:10 PM CST and marking the first Brewer game since Bob Uecker’s passing. With many reminders around the ballpark of Bob’s legacy, Jeff Levering prepares for a new era of Brewers baseball on the radio.
You can listen to our conversation here:
Upcoming schedule
- Saturday, February 22nd: Reds at Brewers | 2:10 PM CST | 620 WTMJ | Starting pitcher: TBD
- Sunday, February 23rd: Brewers at Rockies | 2:10 PM CST | 94.5 ESPN | Starting pitcher: TBD
- Monday, February 24th: Mariners at Brewers | 2:10 PM CST | MLB.com | Starting pitcher: TBD
Dominic Cotroneo is the host of “Brewers Extra Innings” the postgame show for the Brew Crew here on 620 WTMJ. You can follow Dom on X @Dom_Cotroneo and on Instagram @DomCBaseball to bring you closer to spring training coverage from Phoenix all month long.
