Brewers, Daniel Vogelbach continue to await word on universal DH
Will there be a designated hitter in the National League in 2021?
It’s a question every team in the senior circuit needs answered sooner than later and perhaps none more so than the Milwaukee Brewers, who would like to have a plan moving forward for Daniel Vogelbach.
Claimed off waivers early last September, the burly, left-handed slugger was a great fit in that spot by hitting .328 with four home runs and 12 runs batted in and posting a .987 OPS in 19 games.
He’s also capable of playing first base, so Vogelbach agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million deal to return in early December. The thinking was then he’d be able to serve as the primary DH or at the very least platoon at first base.
But Major League Baseball and the players’ association have yet to come to an agreement on a universal DH for 2021, and Keston Hiura is now the primary first baseman after sliding over from second to make room for Kolten Wong.
And so the Brewers and Vogelbach wait to see what the powers that be decide. It’s a decision that might take a few more weeks, too.
“Because of how things went last year, we understand that rules could change at the last second,” said manager Craig Counsell.
The universal DH was installed last June as baseball began ramping up after a three-month COVID-19 pause with an eye on keeping pitchers as protected as possible.
“I don’t know if it’s hope, it’s really just a situation where we don’t know,” Counsell added. “Because they’ve changed rules, they’ve changed playoff situations late, it certainly could happen again. We don’t have any information leading one way or another; I don’t have any thoughts one way or another.
“Our thought is to prepare without it, have a backup plan if it happens. That’s the best we could do.”
BREWERS BY POSITION:Starting pitchers | Bullpen | Catchers | First base | Shortstop | Second base | Third base | Center field
While there are baseball purists who enjoy the strategy that comes with having pitchers hit in the NL — not to mention seeing Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff occasionally cranking a homer — the overriding feeling is that adding another skilled hitter to each team’s lineup makes for a better overall game.
Not to mention it creates another job for players like Vogelbach, who is considered a below-average defender at first base.
“Every team looks at it that way,” said Counsell. “We certainly have a player who best fits in that spot. After using the DH last year, you do see how it frees up at-bats around the field. It can free Christian (Yelich) up to keep his bat in the lineup every day and get four or five plate appearances.”
If there is no universal DH, it would appear as if Vogelbach’s chances of making the opening day roster would be reduced by quite a bit even with 26-man rosters again. He offers none of the versatility that the Brewers crave from their players — reserves in particular.
“It’s first base or DH,” Counsell said. “There’s no other options.”
Arcia to play shortstop, third base
With Luis Urías getting a good look at shortstop this spring and Travis Shaw back with the Brewers aiming to win the third base job again, where does that leave Orlando Arcia?
Arcia has been the Brewers’ No. 1 shortstop for the most part since coming to the majors in the second half of the 2016 season. There have been significant hiccups, leading to time spent in the minors in 2018, but he has started 473 games at shortstop, with 528 appearances there overall, including 52 games during the 60-game season in 2020.
The Brewers planned to give Urías more of a look at shortstop last season, but it never worked out after he suffered a hand injury in winter ball, then was placed on the COVID-19 inactive list at the outset of summer camp in Milwaukee.
Asked if the shortstop job would be a battle between Arcia and Urías, Counsell said, “I wouldn’t describe it as a battle. I think Orlando will move around a little bit this spring. We’ll take a look at him at third base and I think you’ll see him at third base a substantial amount.
“You’ll still see him at shortstop. That’s the initial plan.”
Arcia did see four innings of action in center field in a blowout loss to Minnesota last season, and Counsell said playing other positions remains a possibility.
“It’s something we’ve thought about,” he said. “Probably depends on how other things shake out. We may look at that as the spring goes on.”
Big spring for Lauer
If anyone on the Brewers roster is eager to turn the page on 2020, it’s Eric Lauer.
With hopes high for him after he and Urías came over in an offseason trade that sent Zach Davies and Trent Grisham to the San Diego Padres, the left-hander had a season to forget instead.
The troubles began with a shoulder impingement in spring training. Then, when the Brewers reconvened for summer camp, he was placed into quarantine after coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Lauer eventually debuted out of the bullpen three games into the season and was exceptional, striking out six batters in 2⅔ shutout innings against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Things went downhill rapidly, however. He was tattooed for 14 hits and 13 earned runs in two early August starts and sent to the alternate training site in Appleton, where he remained until late September.
Lauer was then roughed up in one final relief appearance with the Brewers, leaving him with an 0-2 record, 13.09 earned run average and a WHIP of 2.36 in 11 innings.
The 2016 first-round pick now enters this spring as one of a handful of starters trying to earn a spot in the rotation behind Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes.
Lauer was a workhorse in two seasons with the Padres, logging 52 starts in 53 appearances in 2018 and ’19, so the potential is there if he can remain healthy and rediscover his confidence.
“Eric’s definitely a guy that just get on his regular routine of getting off the mound — just be off the mound on your days. That’s the first goal really,” Counsell said. “And that will create, I think, the consistency for him of feeling good. I’m really confident if he feels good and he’s on the mound kind of every third day, as he has been so far, that we’ll get good results and that it’ll be something Eric likes.
“His season was really injury plagued last year. He never got that stretch of consistency off the mound, competing and pitching that everybody needs, no matter who you are.
“You just need it.”
