Fun With Platoons!

The Brewers roster has quite an issue as currently constructed: it is full of a number of fringey bench-[maybe starting positional OFP] players with extreme platoon issues.

The Brewers roster also has quite an advantage as currently constructed: there are a whole gang of players that can play just about anywhere on the diamond. So, throw that #SmallSampleSize crutch to the floor and move to a world where problems do not exist: no, the Brewers roster is not full of problems, it is full of opportunities.

Let’s have some fun with platoons!

This is one of the best batting orders the Brewers can construct, building on Arcia’s defense, the platoon advantages of Scooter Gennett, Travis Shaw, and Eric Thames, and even celebrating Kirk Nieuwenhuis’s uncanny Miller Park performance (152 / 30 home / road OPS+ split).

If I were Jon Lester or Steven Brault coming into Miller Park, I’d take a scissors to my jerseys real quick.

Jonathan Villar starting in centerfield is still the most underrated Brewers potential future. Perhaps fans will get a glimpse when the club maximizes platoon splits on the road.

This club could even use its positional advantage to rest Ryan Braun…

…and even versus southpaws…

…or should Domingo Santana be injured or ineffective:

…or Eric Thames…

…or even Orlando Arcia, depending on the youngster’s year:

The Brewers are a team full of guys that might shine with, say, 300-400 plate appearances, save for veteran Ryan Braun (legitimate superstar), defensive wizard (Orlando Arcia), and necessary lead-off hitter (Jonathan Villar). The Brewers could even gain an advantage by playing matchups with Manny Pina (reverse platoon split) and Jett Bandy or Andrew Susac (traditional platoons), depending on which catchers make the final roster out of spring training. Obviously, flexibility helps when roster developments (injuries, ineffectiveness) occur with any number of Santana, Keon Broxton, Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Hernan Perz, Eric Thames, and / or Travis Shaw.

Anyway, in short: a team deep in relatively competent bench-player types that are ripe with positional flexibility and certain platoon developments could be a team that can play oppositional matchups juuuust right. And if Brewers batting orders are juuuust a bit outside of the box when the season begins, perhaps that will be the team’s best chance to play competitive baseball.