PHOENIX – Of the few position battles set to be waged in Milwaukee Brewers camp this spring, second base is shaping up to be the most interesting with three familiar faces trying to win the job.
There’s Jonathan Villar, who’s trying to regain his 2016 magic after an abysmal 2017; Hernán Pérez, whose goal is to become an everyday player at a set position instead of once again serving as the team's super utility man; and Eric Sogard, the on-base machine who rebooted his career with the Brewers a year ago.
“Eric’s there, Jonny’s there, Hernán’s everywhere,” manager Craig Counsell said when asked to sum up the situation. “So we feel like we’ve got three players, and one of them steps forward and produces a lot. Or, they share it in a way that makes the position productive.
“I feel like we’ll find a player’s production and their production (as a unit) will be really effective, and be good. The candidates there, to me, are proven players in a lot of ways.”
A year ago at this time it appeared as though second base would be Villar’s position for the foreseeable future. And why not? He was coming off a 2016 – his first season with the Brewers – in which he hit .285 with 19 home runs and 63 runs batted in while stealing a major-league-leading 62 bases.
His performance was so impressive the Brewers offered the switch-hitting Villar a $23 million contract extension last spring that he turned down, instead betting on himself to repeat his performance and make even bigger money.
It turned out to be a terrible decision, as Villar regressed badly. He hit just .241 with 11 homers and 40 RBI in 122 games and committed 15 errors in 84 starts while watching both Sogard and later trade-deadline acquisition Neil Walker grab most of the playing time at second base.
The Brewers eventually tried Villar in center field – an experiment that didn't work – and he was a non-factor down the stretch, making just one start after Sept. 5 with the team in the midst of a playoff push. He avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.55 million contract on Jan. 12.
So, which is the real Villar? The 2016 version who was a force in the leadoff spot? The 2017 version who wasn't good enough to be an everyday player?
Or is the answer somewhere in between?
"How I look at it is he’s capable of (repeating) 2016," Counsell said of Villar, who will turn only 27 on May 2. "That’s why you give players like that chances – because he’s certainly capable of something (good).
"He produced a season that was really impactful in a spot at the top of the lineup. A baserunning threat, a power threat, on-base threat. Really, there’s not many of those guys.
"Where it ends up, I don’t know. But players that have produced that kind of season in the big leagues, that’s what you’re working to get back to."
Counsell said the focus now is on trying to fix what went wrong rather than rehashing the reasons for Villar's step back.
"I think speculating on what happened is almost like … we can come up with seven reasons, but do we know how to get him back to 2016? Do we have the perfect answer?" he said. "No, but we’ll have ideas that we’ll work on. There’s always several reasons, but I think it’s important that he understands – and I think he does – that he didn’t have a good year.
"And he’s got to have the confidence in the things that we teach and what he believes can get him back on track."
To that end, Counsell and first-base coach Carlos Subero encouraged Villar in the offseason to watch video of Cincinnati Reds all-star Joey Votto.
"I looked at a couple things with my swing," Villar said. "Counsell told me in 2016 I was hitting more (upright). Last year my body (was more hunched over) and the ball down, pitchers were throwing it there all the time. When I'm up, I see the ball.
"He sent me a couple videos. We watched Joey Votto's two-strike approach, shortening his bat, and when you put the ball in play you never know what's going to happen. Error, base hit – then you have more chances to steal a base."
Playing for Aguilas in the postseason in the Dominican winter league, Villar said he was pleased to be able to put some of his newfound skills to use.
"I feel better," he said. "I'll be ready."
Ready for a change this season is Pérez, who was one of Counsell's most indispensible and versatile players in 2017. He played in 136 games and started 98 at six different positions – 34 in left field, 17 at third base, 16 in right, 16 at second base, 10 in center and five at shortstop.
Like Villar, he avoided arbitration on Jan. 12 by agreeing to a one-year, $1.975 contract. And now he'll try to win his first everyday job, with his utility role likely waiting for him if he's unsuccessful.
"Really, my mind coming into camp is trying to be the everyday second baseman," said Pérez, who hit .259/14/51 with 13 stolen bases but got on base at just a .289 clip. "I know that spot is kind of open and I know it’s going to be Villar, Sogard and me fighting for that spot.
"That’s my mindset right now, playing for that spot and when it comes down, let’s see what happens and go from there."
Eric Sogard had a .273 batting average in 2017 with three homers and 18 RBI in 94 games. (Photo: Mike McGinnis, Getty Images)
Sogard was actually the first of the trio to re-up with the Brewers, signing a one-year, $2.4 million deal to return on Oct. 26.
A non-roster invitee last spring after missing all of 2016 while recovering from knee surgery, Sogard became a fan favorite after putting together a torrid six-week stretch that allowed him to supplant Villar as the starter at second base.
An ankle injury sidelined Sogard for 12 games in July and eventually the trade for Walker left Sogard to mostly bounce around from there. But his ability to get on base – his .393 mark would have led the team if he'd have accrued enough plate appearances – and string together quality at-bats in the leadoff spot were traits sorely needed in a homer-reliant offense.
Sogard finished the season with a .273 average, three homers and 18 RBI in 94 games (60 starts, including 37 at second base and 20 at shortstop).
By the numbers
3 Career-high number of homers for Sogard, two of which came in his first three games with the Brewers.
5 Players to start a game at second base in 2017 (Villar 84, Sogard 37, Walker 24, Pérez 16, Nick Franklin 1).
6 Offensive career highs posted by Pérez (games, 136; at-bats, 432; hits, 112; doubles, 19; homers, 14; walks, 20).
11 Number of position players to pitch in a game for the Brewers. Pérez did it on July 27 in Washington, allowing a hit and a walk in one inning.
.365 Villar's batting average over his last 29 games (three homers, seven RBI).
