The Brewers have signed outfielder Jonathan Davis and right-handers Trevor Kelley and Jason Alexander to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Davis, 29, has spent parts of four years in the big leagues — all with the Blue Jays except for a brief 12-game stint with the Yankees late in the 2021 season. He’s never received regular playing time in the big leagues, as evidenced by the fact that last year’s 64 games played and 103 plate appearances were both career-high marks. Davis, often used as a late-inning pinch runner and defensive replacement by the Jays over the years, is 11-for-13 in stolen bases attempts at the MLB level but just a .171/.272/.248 hitter in 259 plate appearances. He’s been better in Triple-A, where he’s a .249/.356/.416 hitter in 640 trips to the plate.
The 28-year-old Kelley also comes to the Brewers organization with some big league experience, albeit a good bit less. He tallied 11 2/3 innings between the Red Sox and Phillies in 2019-20 but was tattooed for a dozen runs on 17 hits (four homers) and six walks with 11 punchouts. It’s not a great big league track record, but Kelley also posted a microscopic 1.52 ERA in 41 1/3 frames with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate last season and carries a lifetime 1.66 ERA in 130 innings at that level. Kelley has fanned 24.8% of his opponents in Triple-A and posted a 9.1% walk rate.
Alexander joins the Brewers after parts of four pro seasons split between the Angels and Marlins organizations. An undrafted free agent out of Cal State Long Beach, the now-28-year-old righty has a pedestrian 4.87 ERA in 281 minor league innings but much more encouraging rate stats. While Alexander’s 20.6% strikeout rate is below average, he’s walked only 6.1% of his career opponents and tallied a huge 56.2% ground-ball rate since turning pro. Alexander didn’t pitch much with the Marlins organization last year, but in 19 2/3 frames across three levels (including 14 2/3 innings in Triple-A), he logged a 1.37 ERA with a 22-to-3 K/BB ratio and an enormous 67.3% grounder rate.
Can’t believe Jason Alexander never won an Emmy for Costanza.
Maybe he can win a Cy Young instead.
It’s not every day that we see players go from an office job like Assistant to the Traveling Secretary to signing a deal to play!
Will Brewers wear all cotton uniforms?
Darn. I thought I was the first to mention the uniform. Sorry for not scrolling.
I’m picturing in spring training, he brings new uniforms to the clubhouse…
George is getting angry!
George likes spicy chicken.
Kung Pao, I believe
Wait until he is executive of the year for the Mets.
Maybe it’ll be the Summer of George in Milwaukee!
Serenity now, serenity now.
Great!!! This means Davis won’t be back with the Yankees.
Instead it’ll be someone of equally minor significance, congratulations!
Alexander would have signed with the Dodgers, but he insisted on making them drive to his office.
My advice to Jason – just do the opposite of your natural inclinations!
How does Davis still keep getting opportunities. Terrance Gore is probably faster and a better hitter than him
Because only one team can roster Terrance Gore.
Nice to see Jason Alexander take a break from Hollywood and Jonathan Davis take a break from Korn to pursue potential big league careers.
Wonder if the Brewers will now be celebrating Festivus next month now that they’ve brought Jason on board..
I got a lot problems with you people, now you’re going to hear about it !
Stearns always seems to find gold out of junk. Let’s see if he can this time
Can’t stand ya!
Do you think with Kelley it be big league nerves? His track record in the minors makes me think he could be fixable.
remember 2019 Corbin Burnes?
That was for sure mental. He looked so insecure on the mound and thought everything was going to get tagged.
Not saying hes the next Burnes, but if any team can fix a pitcher, its the Brewers and their pitching lab they have. I think its located in area 51…
That and he didn’t have the cutter he has now.
All three great minor league signings.
I question Alexander’s integrity, we were in a contest and he cheated to win
Kelley has a career AAA ERA of 1.66
Hitting is not about muscle. It’s simple physics. Calculate the velocity, V, in relation to the trajectory, T, in which G, gravity, of course, remains a constant. *hits a dinger to dead center* It’s not complicated.
George had the launch-angle and exit velocity thing figured out 20 years before it dominated front offices.
That episode aired 25 years ago and I just love that everyone still references it.
I’m late to the party so can’t come up with any clever verbiage on Jason Alexander/George. 25 years ago, suffice it to say those were the good old days, compared to the horror show of a world we live in now.
It was much simpler times.
Unsure if some of the classics would survive today’s climate
Some of the specifics might not hold up but Curb is basically Seinfeld and still going strong.
Ehhh I dunno, but that’s a pretty long talk and I hate when these boards get political. So I will shift focus with my favourite Costanza baseball quote.
“I think I may have found a way for us to get Bonds and Griffey, and we wouldn’t have to give up that much!”
Sounds like every Yankees fan ever 🙂
*Frank, immediately after being told his son is dead by George Steinbrenner*
“How could you trade Jay Buehner?! He had over 100 RBIs last year! You don’t know what the hell you’re doing!!”
Jerry it’s Frank Costanza, Mr. Steinbrenner’s here, George is dead, call me back.
Don’t forget he’s got a rocket for an arm.
Move along now folks, nothing to see here…
Stearns being Stearns right here. One of these 3 will make an impact for sure!
If Jonathan Davis would get his head around changing his swing to eliminate the giant hole it has and swing down on the ball like Walter Hriniak would teach he would be a productive major league hitter.
Right now he thinks like he was in his early minor league days swinging up trying to hit bombs. It is silly. He has more than enough eye and bat-speed to hit okay in the big leagues, He needs a good coach and to listen.
He has elite speed and defense.
If you want to learn more about Jason Alexander’s stats, be sure to look them up in the Penske file.