Second base remains a work in progress for the Brewers

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Brewers second baseman Jonathan Villar gets ready to throw a Rangers runner out at first base on Tuesday.

PHOENIX - There's little question that Keston Hiura is the Milwaukee Brewers' second baseman of the future, and that he's on the fast track to the major leagues if his throwing elbow holds up.

But as the Brewers head into 2018 with an eye on surpassing the Chicago Cubs atop the National League Central and returning to the playoffs, the Brewers remain prepared to utilize both Jonathan Villar and Eric Sogard in a time-sharing arrangement if neither seizes the job.

"There’s not going to be any, ‘This guy gets to play every day for 162 games.’ You’re not going to get any announcements like that," manager Craig Counsell said. "It’s going to go into the season where we feel like we have an answer there for a player that performs.

"That’s how I’m treating it with all of them."

Bewers second baseman Eric Sogard waits for a late throw as Jacob Hannemann of the Cubs slides in safely on Friday.

The Brewers thought they had a long-term answer at second base last year at this time in Villar, who was coming off a breakout 2016. But he struggled from the outset, never regained his footing and wound up being a non-factor in the big picture.

Sogard, who opened 2017 at Class AAA Colorado Springs, was a revelation for about six weeks in Villar's spot atop the lineup until he was felled by an ankle injury. He was never the same after returning in July, and the Brewers eventually traded for veteran Neil Walker to help stabilize the position.

The Brewers re-signed both Villar and Sogard to one-year deals in the offseason – Villar for $2.55 million and Sogard for $2.4 million – and will also have utility man extraordinaire Hernán Pérez on the 25-man, opening-day roster with Mauricio Dubon waiting in the wings at Colorado Springs for depth.

Villar put up a .285 average, 19 home runs, 63 runs batted in an a major-league-leading 62 stolen bases in 2016, and that performance still carries weight in the eyes of Brewers management.

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"The fact is, Jonny had a season that really Eric’s never had and Hernán’s never had. And that means something," Counsell said. "The other fact is that he didn’t have a very good season last year. Spring training won’t change how I think about that. It just won’t."

Sogard hit .331 with a .438 on-base percentage and an OPS of .924 in his first 43 games with the Brewers before being felled by the ankle injury, and his uncommon plate discipline makes him a tough out wherever he hits in the lineup.

Whether either player can come close to replicating those high-water marks and how Counsell makes it all work will make second base an interesting spot to watch on a team that will also have plenty of shifting bodies in the outfield.

"We’ll get into the season a little bit before we have any clarity on this," Counsell said. "I have a feeling you guys will be asking about this during the season. It could be Eric three days a week, it could be Jonny five days a week to start, it could be Hernán.

"It depends on matchups; maybe the first guy to start is who the opportunity is given to. It’s kind of yet to be determined. I’m really kind of the mindset that, as we sit now, nothing in spring training has changed my mind on that."