The Brewers have settled on their middle infield alignment. Manager Pat Murphy told reporters (including Adam McCalvy of MLB.com) that the Brewers will keep Brice Turang at second base while moving Joey Ortiz to shortstop.
It’s a change from where the team was leaning late last week. Murphy said a few days ago that they were strongly considering bumping Turang up the defensive spectrum while playing Ortiz at second. Turang subsequently reported minor shoulder soreness. The Brewers sent him for an MRI, which came back clean. It’s not expected to impact his readiness for Opening Day, but the club understandably doesn’t want to push things by having him take the longer throws from the left side of the diamond.
“I think Joey’s more than capable, and we were really splitting hairs when we flipped (to Turang at shortstop),” Murphy explained. It had seemed back-and-forth throughout camp. That’s the luxury of having two top-tier defensive infielders even after Willy Adames’ free agent departure. Turang is coming off a Gold Glove and Platinum Glove winning season at second base. Ortiz tied Matt Chapman for the league lead in Outs Above Average at third base. Both players were viewed as potential plus shortstops while coming through the minor leagues.
The Ortiz-Turang pairing should remain one of the best defensive middle infield duos in the majors. They’ll need someone to step up at third base with Ortiz moving over. Oliver Dunn, who hit .221/.282/.316 in his first 41 MLB games last season, has had an excellent spring and will probably get the first look. He has dramatically outplayed Caleb Durbin and Tyler Black in camp. The out-of-options Vinny Capra has had a fantastic Spring Training. That gives him a strong chance to stick on the active roster — especially if Milwaukee options Durbin and/or Black — but Capra’s minor league numbers suggest he’s better suited in a utility role.
Isn’t Turang hurt ?
Why mess with a good(great) thing?
Wtf keep Ortiz at 3rd base and put your best SS at SS it’s harder to find a good 3rd baseman than it is a good 2nd baseman… This makes no sense at all!!
Not sure it’s THAT simple even though I don’t completely disagree with your point about 2nd vs 3rd.
Solid defense at 2nd requires far more lateral foot speed; 3rd requires a stronger arm or to master the bounce throw.
Bfr21….More to your point, Hoskins is not exactly a solid defender-right? Going by memory so may be wrong-more reason to have solid hot corner guy.
thebfr21;
LOL
What makes sense is to keep the platinum glove winner at the position he won it. Ortiz was in the Burnes deal to replace Adames. That has always been the plan.
Turang is a great defender but he has a pop gun for an arm, I think plays in the hole would be tough for him. Being the best defensive 2B in the sport is perfect for him.
This alignment creates a dual-track value generator. If Ortiz thrives at short, the Brewers can trade Turang (overqualified at second) for a haul, leveraging his durability and accolades. If Ortiz struggles, they can flip him back to third (where he’s already elite) and reinstall Turang at short, all while Dunn or Capra hold third base at minimal cost. The blow-mind factor? This is a chess move disguised as a health-driven tweak—quietly setting up a roster flexibility arbitrage that could net the Brewers an extra 5-10 WAR or a blockbuster trade return over the next few years, unnoticed by a public fixated on Adames’ departure or spring training stats.
It’s like they went the whole off season and spring training without preparing for this outcome. Now they have a huge void at 3rd