Luckily, MLB.com has been keeping track of spring training stats since 2006. Due to their frivolous nature, I’m not sure why, but for this niche situation, it proves rather helpful. The bad news, there is no combined spring training stats, just individual years, meaning hand calculation will be necessary.

The criteria to be considered for the “King of Spring” title are at least 3 seasons in Brewers camp and at least 15 at-bats in all three of those seasons.

Wildly enough, only 21 Brewers meet that criteria. For Brewers junkies, this list is a real blast from the past. But, in an effort to consolidate a bit, let’s chop off the obvious pit dwellers.

As a side note, Aramis Ramirez playing in his age 34 to 37 seasons clearly had no passion or ambition for March success, which earns him the King George award for last place in the race for the King of Spring crown.

Now comes the whittling process, and the first person to get the ax is Prince Fielder. While his 17 home runs and 18 hit-by-pitch numbers were impressive, it’s embarrassing that he was out-slugged by 7 of the 21 people. The former home run derby champ obviously didn’t have his violent swing totally thawed out by the Arizona sun, and it cost him his shot at the crown.

The next person to go is Rickie Weeks. This one hurt since Rickie played the second most seasons and had 129 more at-bats than anyone else. Also, I’m sure it hurt him since he was plunked 24 times over those nine years and has nothing to show for it. But, the stat that did him in was his 140 strikeouts. He struck out on 28 percent of his total at-bats, a number only the endless mediocrity of Corey Hart could surpass.

To get down to the final three a tough choice had to be made, but Ryan Braun, despite his spring training record 1.052 OPS, is on the chopping block. The reasons are his lack of at-bats and occasional stinkers. In 10 years, Braun only averaged 37 at-bats, a far from kingly number, especially considering most players on this list averaged upward of 50 or 60. And, he only had a measly 6 hits in 23 at-bats back in 2013. A true king doesn’t have off years. Braun may look flashy with his 31 home runs, and 94 RBI; while it’s impressive it only took him 371 at-bats to accomplish those feats, he can’t coast and by and win a crown by barely suiting up.

The final three: JJ Hardy, Tony Gwynn Jr, and George Kottaras.

It might seem odd to favor this group, who only played in 10 total Brewer spring training seasons, in lieu of the previous three who had a combined 25. But, spring training is all about celebrating the under-appreciated and starved for attention players that have seemingly miraculous springs which, in turn, causes fans to be more excited about their potential than they should be.

After heavy contemplation, it’s time to announce the final two: JJ Hardy and George Kottaras.

Tony Gwynn Jr. made a strong push, but his less than stellar 2006 spring training, where he was just 5-21, was the worst season from any of the remaining three. His final two seasons, where he was 35-96 with 5 home runs and 20 RBI’s, and impressive .606 overall slugging percentage, made his final stats look good. However, in a competition this stiff, even the deepest closeted skeletons make a ghastly appearance.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the final rose: The official Brewers “King of Spring” is J.J Hardy.

What is boiled down to was Hardy’s consistency. In his four seasons, he had 60 or more at-bats three times, never hit below .300, and had at least 7 extra base hits and 2 home runs. Further, his .611 slugging percentage and 1.003 OPS were out of this world, and he was the only person on the original list of 21 that walked more times than he struck out.

Kottaras was good, consistently above .280 in all three of his seasons, but the eye-popping, Hardy-style numbers just weren’t there.

Sadly, Hardy’s MLB time with the Brewers never quite matched his spring training escapes. From 2006-2009, Hardy posted a .265/.322/.437 slash line and .760 OPS. But, spring is all about hopeful potential, not harsh reality, and who wants to focus on that.

Cordell, a former 11^th round pick, made his way into a few top prospect lists while spending time in the Rangers organization, most recently by Baseball America in their midseason update in 2016. He has never really been considered an impact prospect due to his advanced age. 2017 will be his age-25 season. He is closer to the vaunted “career minor-leaguer” title than the prospect tag. But, he was only drafted in 2013 and has advanced a level every year since.

In the 2015 season, the tall right-hander was progressing quickly, and borderline dominating at the lower levels. The year before, he ran a .340 TAv in 70 plate appearances with the Rangers Class-Advanced A team and then followed that up with a .310 TAv in 2015 with the same squad. He barely made it through half the season before getting the call to the Rangers’ Class-AA affiliate.

This is where it all went wrong for Cordell. In 242 plate appearances, he ran an OPS of .598 and a TAv of .217. Putrid numbers and his advanced age left him on the cusp of being stripped of his prospect tag.

Then the 2016 season came around and Cordell made some adjustments. For example, his strikeout percentage fell from 30.2 percent to 21.8 percent, an astronomical jump. His walk rate went from 5 percent to 7.2 percent. Cordell displayed the plate discipline he had at the lower levels but now he was bringing it to the higher levels. His slugging percentage jumped nearly 150 points, and his on-base percentage jumped 56 points. Cordell showed off his power-speed combo by hitting 19 home runs and stealing 12 bases in 445 plate appearances.

It is easy to look at that miserable 2015 stint in AA as a 23-year-old and be cautious with a player of advanced age and huge struggles. But if you take that short, 242 plate appearance blip out of the picture, there is a player who has succeeded at every level. That is before discussing what he has done this Spring.

Cordell has already played in nine games this Spring, just as many as Orlando Arcia and Lewis Brinson, and he might just hit himself into a fourth or fifth outfielder spot. He has six hits, a home run, and five walks in twenty plate appearances. He has been on-base in over half of his plate appearances. Of course, nobody should overreact to any ten games, let alone Spring Training games, but Cordell and his roster chances are being evaluated and he is delivering.

It would appear at the moment Cordell is blocked by the glut of young outfielders the Brewers employ, along with Ryan Braun, but it still isn’t hard to see him finding a roster spot. The Brewers may want to give Lewis Brinson full-time at-bats in the minor leagues rather than share time with Braun or Domingo Santana, who also needs full-time at-bats to develop. This opens up a bench spot for the versatile Cordell, who can also play some third base and first base. Then there is the injury concern; Braun and Santana both haven’t exactly been the healthiest guys when it comes to injuries. Keon Broxton and his 30 percent strikeout rate is no guarantee either. Ryan Cordell is yet another young name to keep on your radar this Spring and possibly come Opening Day.

*Not actually favorite

Minor League Ball || Thoughts on Brewers prospect Keon Broxton (March 22, 2016)
John Sickels reevaluated one of the major standouts of this spring for the Brewers, young center field prospect Keon Broxton. The 6’3” 25-year-old who is carved out of stone has made a major impact so far in camp, pushing for a roster spot and perhaps even the Opening Day start in center field. He has displayed all of the tools that made him attractive to the Brewers when they acquired him along with Troy Supak in the trade that sent Jason Rogers to Pittsburgh – he’s shown impressive plate discipline in leading the team in walks and has been swiping bases at will. Sickels bumps Broxton from a C to a C+ grade based on what he’s seen so far this March.

Baseball Prospectus || Winter is Leaving: Milwaukee Brewers (March 22, 2016)
Gone but not forgotten, our erstwhile editor in chief J.P. Breen revealed to the world that he was ready to take a break from writing about the Brewers on a regular basis in handing over the reins of BP Milwaukee to Nicholas Zettel. His first order of business after stepping away from writing about the Brewers? Writing about the Brewers, of course. Breen tackles the Brewers in Baseball Prospectus’ “Winter Is Leaving” series, recapping each team’s offseason and setting the stage for the 2016 season. A very entertaining and informative read, he outlines the lightning-fast way the Brewers have reinvigorated the farm system with talent at every level, even while retaining their two most valuable veterans in Ryan Braun and Jonathan Lucroy.

Brew Crew Ball || Injuries clearing up the Brewers bullpen picture (March 22, 2016)
In the wake of the news that Sean Nolin would join Yhonathan Barrios on the Opening Day disabled list, I took a look at the remaining seven candidates for the last two spots in the bullpen. One of the more interesting cases is Rule 5 draftee Zack Jones, who must make the team if Milwaukee wants to keep him in the organization. Jones made his Spring Training debut on Thursday after an injury kept him on the shelf for the first few weeks of camp. He gave up two hits, including a home run, closing out the Brewers 9-2 win over the Royals, but most importantly he seemed to come out the other side healthy.

Baseball Prospectus || Notes from the Field: Brewers Got Bats (March 24, 2016)
Baseball Prospectus prospect writer Adam McInturff visited Brewers camp this week, and in this report he scouted some of the Brewers young, high-upside position player prospects, including Trent Clark, Demi Orimoloye, and Jake Gatewood. McInturff teamed up with Craig Goldstein to talk about the Brewers’ pitching prospects as well on Wednesday, although that article is behind a pay wall, so fair warning there.