Francisco got robbed out of roster spot with Brewers

At the start of Spring Training if you had told me Lyle Overbay and Mark Reynolds would have beaten out "Fat" Juan Francisco for the platoon at first base, I would have probably agreed with you. After the dust settled Saturday night in Maryvale Francisco's locker was empty and he was the one heading out of camp. 

That doesn't mean the 26-year-old Francisco didn't do everything he could to improve himself at the plate and perform this spring because he did just that. In the end, it was his track record that did him in and inexperience at first base.

The numbers tell the story of a solid spring which followed up a pretty good Dominican Winter League for Francisco where in 40 games he hit .260 with 3 homers and 24 RBI, according to the 2014 Brewers Media Guide. His .346 average (9 of 26) were one of the best on the team of guys with over 15 ABs that paired well with his 3 HR and 6 RBI. He also drew eight walks to give him a .500 OBP and a .731 slugging percentage. He did strike out nine times, but that was by no means the tops on the team. In fact, that was middle of the road with the guys he was competing for the first-base job with besting him.

Overbay would be the one to look at most since he was the lefty and the Big O hit just .179 this spring (7 of 39) with a pair of doubles and eight walks with a lone RBI. His 15 strikeouts are tops on the team this spring. The 37-year-old had just a .319 on-base percentage and a .550 slugging percentage.

Now, I know what you're saying "An exhibition season doesn't make a season." While I'd agree with you, if a true platoon is going to be the plan at first base this season wouldn't you want to ride the hot hand into the season?

Unless a true platoon isn't going to happen there. If Reynolds is the starter and Overbay is just a defensive replacement and spot starter, then the move makes sense. Of the other options still available at first base that were in camp, only Hunter Morris has extended experience at the position. It's that or Martin Maldinado, Jeff Bianchi or Rickie Weeks playing there. 

Safe to say, barring a trade things could be rough at first again this season. We can only hope Doug Melvin knows what he's doing on this one.

Top five Brewers storylines entering spring training

As the calendar turns to February today, it's serious time to start thinking about Spring Training. The Brewers don't report until February 15, but things are already building as to five key storylines to follow when the Brew Crew gets into Marvale Baseball Park outside Phoenix.

Topping the list of what to watch for is Ryan Braun. Simply, how will he respond to his lowest year as a pro and probably person? On top of the suspension that forced him to miss the final 65 games of the 2013 season, Braun battled injuries and missed almost 40 more games. As I wrote last month, it will be interesting to see how Braun responds to being back this season. Any offense the team missed last season can be addressed with a healthy Braun in the middle of the lineup. Things are going to get dicey on the road this season when opposing fans let Braun hear it.

Are the Brewers asking Braun to deliver MVP caliber numbers? Simply, no. They are just looking for production in line with the back of his baseball card. That would be in the area of about a .312 batting average with 36 home runs and 112 RBI.

Braun won't need to do too much if the first base position, No. 2 on my list of Brewers storylines to watch, delivers more than it did in 2013. First, the Mark Reynolds signing, then the return of Lyle Overbay, have shown that the organization realizes it's a need, but doesn't mean it will be a shining star this season. 

The team was banking on Corey Hart sticking around, and his absence will create a mix and match solution for the short term 

The third story to watch is the Rickie Weeks riddle. What will the Brewers do with him in spring training. These things have a way of working themselves out, but the Brewers have basically hinted they plan to trade Weeks and start with the season with Scooter Gennett at second base. An $11 million guy in a platoon seems a bit much for the Brewers to handle and they would probably like to pawn off some of that salary, but would need to open up the spot fo Gennett, if he delivers in Spring Training, too. 

Pitching seems to always be a need no matter the team and the signing of Matt Garza makes it less of one for the Brewers. The bullpen, however, does have plenty of unanswered questions. Most of those revolve around roles for those who will spend their time in front of Friday's Front Row Sports Grill at Miller Park. Jim Henderson is slated to start the season as closer, but the signing of Garza has bumped Tyler Thornburg to the bullpen as a possible set up man, along with the newly acquired Will Smith from the Royals in the Nori Aoki trade. Brandon Kintzler's name has been mentioned as a setup man, as he came through in that role at the end of last season. Rob Wooten saw time and shined last year, as well, so he should be back. Beyond those names, things are open for discussion. Do the Brewers take a look at Francisco Rodriguez once again (He is available)? Does a non-roster invitee like Zach Duke make the team?

How that plays out will likely decide the No. 5 storyline of the spring. What does the future hold for manager Ron Roenicke in Milwaukee? As I wrote this week, whispers are circling that if things don't end well this season for the Crew, Running Ron, the Brewers could part ways with him. Now I don't see that happening, barring a complete collapse, but that won't stop people from talking. Roenicke has shown at times he thinks way outside the box with his stealing of bases and bunt calls from guys who should not give up an at-bat, but those are marginal things. As a whole, he has not lost the clubhouse at all in his time here. The last two seasons, the team could have cashed out on the season and they came back to finish strong. That's a sign of something that should mean he sticks around for at least another year.

A couple others worth mentioning that just missed the list...

How do Jean Segura and Carlos Gomez follow up their breakout 2013 seasons?

Can Aramis Ramirez avoid a major injury this season and be a factor at the plate?

Will Jim Henderson, who had not closed Major League games before, be able to back up his 2013?

Can Kris Davis make it as an every day left fielder?

How will Ryan Braun fare in right field?

Who will hit leadoff?

Brewers finally sign first baseman in K machine Reynolds

When I wrote in this space that the Milwaukee Brewers needed to solve the riddle that was their first base position this winter, one of the last directions I thought they would go was Mark Reynolds.

The former Diamondbacks/Orioles/Yankees/Indians third and first baseman is now a member of the Brewers after officially signing with the team Thursday night, as our friends over at Brewer Nation broke down, here. Not exactly the type of birthday present I was expecting from my team, but it helps solve the riddle to some point.

The deal is worth $2 million according to numerous reports with $500k in incentives. That's low risk for a guy signed in mid-January, but still doesn't solidify the position. As Dick Kaegel wrote on Brewers.com, Reyolds has 1,276 strikeouts in 3,418 career at bats and holds the record for most strikeouts in a single season with 223, according to Baseball-Reference while also hold three of the top six spots.

All that aside, he did hit .220 last season with 21 home runs in 135 games with the Indians and Yankees. He did strike out 154 times, which is clearly more than one per game, on average.

He does have some power, which suits him well at Miller Park.

Let's just say he did not get signed for his bat. His defense, however, is a strong point for him, especially at first base. He has a .990 fielding percentage at first base over his career, as opposed to a .928 fielding percentage at third base, where he started his career. That is a strength for a team that has little room for error and can't give away outs.

A platton with Juan Francisco seems likely, at least to start the season, but short term this could pay off for the Brewers. They bascially can't stand to have the production that Yuniesky Betancourt and Francisco had together last season and Reynolds fits their budget.

If you're wondering what the other options are at the position, check out my post from a couple weeks back. The options aren't very pretty. 

I heard numerous rumblings about this signing that Hunter Morris at Triple-A Nashville would be a better option, but he regressed there last year and moving up to the Major League club might not pay off well at all and they could lose him all together. To start the season, Reynolds seems to be the one the team is hedging their bets on, with a little Francisco sprinkled in.

It won't be anything to write home about, but if his defense pays off, the Brewers might live with the .220 batting average.

If not Weeks, who for Brewers first base spot?

We are in the home stretch of the Major League Baseball offseason and the Milwaukee Brewers still have not hammered down the team's No. 1 need it had entering the offseason, first base.

General Manager Doug Melvin tried with Corey Hart, which seemed like a slam dunk at the start of the winter, and failed with Hart signing with the Mariners. Then it was James Loney at the top of the list and he resigned with the Rays. So, now the Brewers are left looking at the scrap heap for a trade or staying in-house with the guys that spent most of the season struggling with it last season. Even worse, fans are clamoring for Rickie Weeks to slide over to first base. 

Let's work in reverse there and scratch off one of those options. Weeks is not the answer at first base. As Adam McCalvy wrote on his Brewers mailbag late last week, Weeks isn't a fit at first base, despite fans' outcry to move him there. Yes his $11 million salary is something you would want to find him a spot for, but it's looking like Weeks will land on the bench or be moved in spring training. Maybe for someone that can play first base.

Weeks is just 5-foot-10 and with his defense being an issue at second base, it would not make sense to make him a bigger part of the defense. As, McCalvy says, if you're going to put someone a first who is average defensively, he had better hit. Well, the way the last few years have gone for Weeks, it doesn't seem he could do that well, either.

Jaun Francisco seems to be the front-runner for the position more out of default than anything else. "Fat Juan" as he is referred to by Braves fans, showed why he was DFA'd by the Braves early last year, hitting just .221 last season with the Brewers which was lower than his average with the Braves. 

Can Francisco be servicable at first base? Maybe. He is reffered to over and over on Twitter as a lottery ticket that could hit .275 with 30 homers. The odds of that jackpot coming through is a long shot and I'm not sure the Brewers are willing to wait around for him to come though. He is a cheap option at the position which does bode well for him. If that's the best thing he's got going for him, though, it doesn't say much for the Brewers options.

A long shot at first base would be bringing Hunter Morris up from Triple-A Nashville. After hitting .300 and crushing Double-A pitching two seasons ago, Morris slipped in acclimating to AAA with his average sliding down to .247 with 24 homers and 73 RBI. The Brewers think he needs one more year with the Sounds before he could be ready to move up to the big league club.

The other options for the Brewers involve signing free agents or making trades. Melvin has been link to trade talks with the Mets for Ike Davis. He was awful last season and the Mets want too much (read: Tyler Thornburg), which Melvin turned down. Logan Morrison was another player the Brewers had links to, but he was already traded by the Marlins to the Mariners. Taking him out of consideration.

A comb through the available free agents with first base experience yield familiar names from Yuniesky Betancourt to Alex Gonzalez. With no talk about bringing either of them back, they seem out. 

There is one big name out there in Kendrys Morales, but signing him would result in the Brewers losing the No. 12 pick in June's draft. Something they wouldn't want to give up after losing their pick last season after signing Kyle Lohse. 

Yeah, it's a mess. The miss on Hart has put the team in a rough spot. Still having questions on pitching, it may be something the team waits until spring training to address when teams decide who they want to cut loose or becomes roster casualties. Stay tuned.