When Caleb Durbin finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, many presumed he’d be the
Brewers’ long-term third baseman. However, right before spring training, Milwaukee traded
him along with Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Red Sox, leaving the Brewers
with no proven third baseman on the roster. While the team recently signed Luis Rengifo, he’s
merely a placeholder and will most likely be part of a platoon at the position this season. I
believe the Brewers plan to develop top prospect Jett Williams into a third baseman as quickly
as possible.
After a solid rookie season, many people expected that Caleb Durbin would be the Milwaukee
Brewers’ long-term third baseman. However, the team made a bold move, trading Durbin along
with Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler to the Boston Red Sox. This trade left the
Brewers with no proven third baseman on the roster. One of the players who came over in the
Durbin trade, infielder David Hamilton, is expected to get reps at the position. However, has
only appeared in one career game at third base.
Despite being connected to Isaac Paredes trade rumors, the team recently signed free agent
Luis Rengifo to a one-year deal. Rengifo has appeared in 199 games at third base over the
course of his career. However, the 28-year-old isn’t considered to be the long-term solution for
the position. Over the years, Rengifo has had durability issues and is a below-average fielder at
third base. He’ll most likely be sharing time at the position with David Hamilton. This is not
something the Brewers are going to want to move forward with in the future.
Jett Williams was one of the players acquired from the trade that sent All-Star starter Freddy
Peralta to the Mets. Currently, the 22-year-old is ranked 51 st on MLB’s top 100 prospect list. The
Brewers wouldn’t have acquired him if they didn’t envision him being a part of their future.
More importantly, he’s projected to be ready to come up to the big leagues this season!
Williams is a shortstop, second baseman, and outfielder by trade and has never played third
base.
However, Joey Ortiz is the incumbent and fellow prospect Jesus Made is the shortstop of the
future. Second base is currently occupied by former Gold Glove award winner Brice Turang.
Meanwhile, Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, Brandon Lockridge, and Blake Perkins
are expected to be Milwaukee’s main outfielders. With no current long-term solutions at third
base, Williams will likely begin his MLB career at the hot corner.
Given Williams’s athleticism and his ability to play three different positions, the move to third
base will be seamless. He’s already familiar with the left side of the infield. The former first-
round pick has spent a lot of time playing shortstop in the minors and was a competent fielder.
However, the 22-year-old’s arm strength is considered average at best and he sometimes struggles with accuracy on throws. Perhaps the move over to third base will benefit him defensively.
Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler are now on the Boston Red Sox, which
creates an opening at third base. While the Brewers will most likely have Luis Rengifo and David
Hamilton platooning at third base to begin the season, this isn’t the long-term plan. Milwaukee
wouldn’t have acquired him had they not envisioned him as part of their immediate and long-
term future. However, his positions of shortstop, second base, and outfield are already
occupied by other players. This means that the team is envisioning him eventually taking over
as the regular third baseman. While Jett Williams has never played third base, given his
experience playing shortstop and his athleticism, the transition should be seamless.
