Brewers notes: Soft-tossing Brent Suter shows you can do it a different way
PHOENIX - There is more than one way to skin a cat, and that also applies to major-league hitters.
Soft-tossing lefty Brent Suter showed he could make his stuff work at the top level in his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers last season. In 14 outings, including two starts, he went 2-2 with a 3.32 ERA, working around 25 hits and five walks allowed over 21⅔ innings.
This is the first major-league spring camp for Suter, 27, who was summoned last August from Class AAA Colorado Springs. Though he has been primarily a starter in the minors, Suter has pitched in relief as well and manager Craig Counsell said it would be in that role that he will get a shot to make the roster out of camp.
“For him to make the team in camp, it’s going to be as a reliever,” Counsell said. “Going forward, I don’t think any firm decisions have been made on that.
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“There’s still value in bouncing back and forth (between starting and relieving). That does create opportunity at the big-league level. It’s not easy to do. Tyler Cravy is a good example of someone who has bounced back and forth.
“It doesn’t mean where you’re going to ultimately end up. But it gives you more opportunity to make an impression at some point, somewhere in the big leagues. You can fit into different spots. It’s versatility as a pitcher.”
In an era when hard throwers get most of the love, Suter pitches at the other end of the spectrum. His fastball usually tops out at 84 mph, but he knows how to hit spots and keep hitters off-balance.
The more hitters see a different style of pitching, the better chance they have to adjust to it, however, and Counsell said that will be Suter’s challenge.
“That’s going to be an adjustment as he goes forward in the league,” said Counsell, who will send Suter to the mound to open the Brewers' first Cactus League game Saturday against the Angels. “Guys know more about what to expect from him. He learned some things about how his pitches played at the major-league level; how hitters reacted to it.
“I think he’s going to be good at adjusting to that feedback. He gets the feedback and takes it and uses it. We’ve talked about it already this spring. He’s got a pretty good handle on things he might need to adjust with certain types of hitters.
“We gave him a shot and I think it’s important we gave him a shot. It doesn’t have to look the same to get a shot. If you’re getting outs consistently and doing it well, you’ll get a shot. His repertoire is different; it’s unique. That’s what helps him get outs."
Suter, a 31st-round draft pick out of Harvard in 2012, is enjoying his first Brewers camp and admitted that life was a bit different over the winter in his hometown of Cincinnati after pitching in the majors.
“I had been doing some substitute teaching in previous winters,” he said. “I wanted to focus more on training. Plus, we got a new puppy so I wanted to spend time with our golden doodle. That kept me busy.
“It’s a great experience being here, on this side of the tracks if you will. I came over two or three times last spring (for exhibition games) to back up, but I never got in a game. I was wondering how much different it is, and it is different. Everything is a little bit nicer.”
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Villar passes on deal: A FanRagSports.com report said infielder Jonathan Villar "passed for now" on a contract extension for $20 million or so "floated" by the club, presumably to buy out his three arbitration years. Villar, 25, is eligible for arbitration after this season and would be in line for a substantial raise if he repeats his banner 2016 campaign (.285, 19 HRs, 63 RBI, 62 stolen bases, .369 OBP).
Villar made $512,900 last season and won't make much more this year while under team control. But he obviously has confidence that he can do better in his arbitration years if he keeps playing like this.
General manager David Stearns declined to confirm the report, saying, "I'm not going to comment on any contract negotiations."
Asked about talks with the club about an extension, Villar said, "I don't know about that." He is represented by MDR Sports Management out of Puerto Rico.
Time to play: The Brewers open their exhibition schedule Friday with a game against UW-Milwaukee in what has become an annual tradition. Hiram Burgos will start that game for the Brewers. Pitchers from the early minor-league camp will help fill innings, including lefty Nick Ramirez, a converted first baseman.
Intentional walk: Counsell did not think the rule change to send batters immediately to first base on intentional walks instead of the pitcher throwing four balls was a big deal.
“Immediately, you start to think if it means anything different,” he said. “I can think of a couple of things, but nothing is going to change. I don’t know how much time we’re saving.”
Of the possibility of more rules changes to speed up games, Counsell said, “We can find ways to improve always. You always have to be cognizant of this issue. Dead time is not good time for anybody.
“That’s the time that is right to look at eliminating. (But) we have to be aware that we can’t change the course of the players’ competition.”