Haudricourt: Brewers await 'next step' with players

PHOENIX - It’s really not that difficult to imagine what the Brewers’ starting lineup might look like when they open the 2017 season April 3 against Colorado at Miller Park.

            I envision the batting order looking something like this:

            2B Jonathan Villar

            CF Keon Broxton

            LF Ryan Braun

            1B Eric Thames

            RF Domingo Santana

            3B Travis Shaw

            SS Orlando Arcia

            C Jett Bandy

            RHP Junior Guerra

            A lot can happen over the next six weeks to change that projected lineup. And, no doubt, some of you already are jotting it down so you can show me April 3 just how wrong I was (thaudricourt@jrn.com, to make it easy for you).

            The point is that — barring injury or an unexpected trade during camp — it’s not difficult to project starters at each position. In the second full season of the Brewers’ massive rebuilding program, the aforementioned players have a foot in the door, with the exception of Bandy, who will battle Andrew Susac and Manny Piña for roster spots.

            Manager Craig Counsell acknowledged as much before the first official workout of the spring.

            “On roster spots, do we have as many decisions (as a year ago)? Probably not,” Counsell said. “But we’re going to have some decisions with playing time. Where playing time happens is not exactly set.”

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            In other words, Counsell is excited to see which catcher steps ahead of the other two; how infielder/outfielder Hernan Perez might fit in the lineup on at least a semi-regular basis; if Broxton will take charge in center; if Arcia plays so well he can’t be removed from the lineup; and if the left-handed-hitting Shaw can avoid platoon status at third.

            So, while opening-day starters are easy to project at this early stage, only one is an established major-leaguer — Braun, the last man standing in the field since the rebuild began. None of the others has a death grip on his position and could be elbowed aside if unproductive.

            “Production is what it’s all about,” Counsell says. “Production counts.”

            The fun part of it will be seeing which players are identified as keepers as the rebuild moves forward. These players are well aware that a vastly restocked farm system is teeming with prospects trying to push their way to the majors and become the stars at some point.

            If outfielders Lewis Brinson, Corey Ray and Brett Phillips are the real deal, and middle infielder Isan Diaz continues to slug the ball, and third baseman Lucas Erceg shoots through the system as many expect, they will not be denied. And they are merely the tip of the minor-league iceberg.

            But, first things first. You don’t get to skip steps in a rebuild of this magnitude. Until those prospects prove they are ready to jump into the deep end of the pool, these are the players Brewers fans will be watching. And just think of the questions yet to be answered:

            Will the exciting Villar be able to repeat his breakthrough performance of 2016?

            Can Thames come close to replicating his fantasy-league numbers during his three-year siege of the Korean Baseball Organization?

            Will Arcia look more like the organization’s No. 1 prospect than during his first two sluggish months in the majors?

            Is Shaw, who slipped badly in the final months of ’16 with Boston, now girded for a start-to-finish showing?

            What would Santana’s numbers look like over a full season, assuming he avoids the injury plague of last season?

            Will Bandy or Susac or Piña step forward and become something resembling a No. 1 catcher after years of stability with Jonathan Lucroy?

            No one knows the answers to these questions at this point. If they did, it would make the 2017 season far less interesting. And that’s not even addressing a starting rotation that has too many candidates or a bullpen thin in established major-league relievers.

            “You start to get really excited about what we have if you start moving a bunch of guys forward,” Counsell said. “We have to give players the opportunity to improve. That’s what spring is for.

           “That’s where we are with a lot of players — get to that next stage where you know who you are. We want to take as many guys as we can to that next step. The next step is solid, good major-league players. This is where the most growth happens, right before your eyes.

            “You have to be patient with them, and we will. It’s a critical part of it.”

            This is what makes a rebuild so fascinating to watch. No one — not even those making the personnel decisions — knows exactly how this will work out. You collect as much talent as you can and plug as many spots as possible with players seeking to prove they are keepers while the prospects get more seasoning in the minors.

            Baseball experiments can be both volatile and enlightening. Put on your safety goggles and watch the fun.