Keon Broxton the Guy to Watch in Brewers' Center Field Battle
With the daily crack of bats about to commence in Arizona, the Milwaukee Brewers enter Spring Training with a swarm of players looking to nab the starting center fielder's job. With players ranging from 23-30 years old in the mix, 25-year-old Keon Broxton stands out as the most intriguing selection.
Realistically (while nothing is guaranteed), the 2016 patrolman in center is keeping the seat warm for one of the club's top prospects, Brett Phillips. Once he's ready, Phillips will have the shot to be an All-Star in the outfield's premier spot.
Until then, Milwaukee is required to have 9 players in the field, and Broxton may represent the best all-around option to roam between corner outfielders Ryan Braun and Domingo Santana.
Broxton came to the Brewers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a trade that also included minor league pitcher Trey Supak. Milwaukee gave up 1B/3B Jason Rogers in the deal, a guy who wasn't really in GM David Stearns' plans anyway.
Broxton, who throws and hits righty, has just a pair of MLB plate appearances, getting into 7 games as a September call-up, mainly as a runner or defensive replacement. He did happen to steal a base and score 3 runs, so at least he made some impact in his limited time.
A 3rd round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2009, Broxton showed the type of power-speed combo teams nearly always take a chance on. He came into organized baseball a bit raw and has been mostly up-and-down in his development, especially as a hitter.
After some inconsistent years and a poor showing in his first trip to Double-A, the D-Backs moved him to the Pirates where he took a strong step forward with the stick in 2014.
Perhaps motivated by Arizona giving up on him, his second season in Double-A was outstanding. In 127 games, Broxton hit 15 HR and 22 doubles while swiping 25 of 31 bases. He batted .275 with a .369 OBP, thanks in part to 59 walks.
His plate discipline was improved, but he still whiffed 122 times that season. The strikeouts were concerning, but with a .484 slugging percentage and .853 OPS, those K's aren't as big an issue.
Last season he was putting up extremely similar numbers in Double-A, so Pittsburgh bumped him up a level after 45 games. Between the 2 teams, Broxton racked up an extra 100 plate appearances more than in 2014 and still had a strong showing.
He finished with only 10 HR, but boosted his doubles to 27 and triples to 12 (from 9). Broxton also stole 39 bases, helping to increase his run total from 67 in 2014 to 86 last year. His slash line of .273/.357/.438/.795 would play well in center.
If those numbers were accumulated in MLB last year, he would sit in the top 10 at his position overall.
Of course, the stats don't normally flow that smoothly to the big leagues, but for those who believed in Broxton and have seen his development, it shows he has the opportunity to contribute at the highest level.
He'll probably rate as an average to slightly above average MLB defender in center field, though that's a tough area to gauge. Broxton has the pure speed and athleticism to handle the position, so it's a matter of continuing to hone his paths to the ball and overall glove work.
The 2016 Brewers are the perfect type of club to give a kid like Broxton a shot. Turning 26 in May, this could be Broxton's last real chance to prove he's an everyday player - or at worst - an extremely valuable 4th outfielder with some pop and wheels.
Broxton's main competition - at least as a starter in center - are likely players the organization sees as better defenders in veteran Kirk Nieuwenhuis (28 years old) and prospect Michael Reed (23 years old). Both are on the 40-man roster, though they are at different spots in their careers.
Nieuwenhuis bats from the left side and has a stellar reputation defensively, so with right-handers in Braun and Santana in the corners, he will likely be on the club one way or another. The Brewers will clearly face more right-handed pitchers, so he has the platoon advantage over Broxton as well.
In 4 MLB seasons, Nieuwenhuis has a .232 average, .306 OBP and just a .389 SLG, so his bat leaves much to be desired. He hasn't reached 150 plates appearances in a season since 2012, though 2 years ago he posted an .828 OPS in 130 PA.
Reed represents an interesting case also, though he has only 6 MLB plate appearances (all coming last year). On-base skills are Reed's greatest strength (an area that has generally been lacking in Milwaukee) and he is normally regarded as a strong defender in the outfield.
The consistent ability to reach base often translates well to the Majors, and Reed has shown an unwavering knack to do just that, regardless of level. His OBP the past 3 seasons: .385 in '13, .396 in '14 and .371 in '15. He's hurt by a lack of power and questions about his ability run against MLB arms.
Reed is the type of prospect that gets ranked all over the board depending on who you talk to. For example, ESPN's Keith Law ranked him 5th in the Brewers' stacked system while many put him outside the top 15. He may be best served starting in Triple-A, giving Broxton a better chance to stick.
Other guys in camp that could push Broxton - but are unlikely to get a starting gig - include veterans Eric Young, Jr. (30) and Alex Presley (30). A player like the left-handed hitting Ramon Flores is intriguing, but he probably shouldn't play center every day and is recovering from an ankle injury.
Rymer Liriano has also come up recently as an option in center. According to most reports, he fell out of favor as a center fielder, although Brewers' manager Craig Counsell said they will evaluate everyone with a clean slate. He probably doesn't have the defensive chops to play there regularly.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Counsell rotate numerous guys into center field to get everyone at-bats and play the platoon edge as often as he can.
Regardless, Keon Broxton is in a terrific spot with this year's club in that he should get a fair shake to see what he offers and there is little pressure to be "the man" right now. If he simply plays his game, stays loose and competes, there's no doubt he earns a seat on the plane to Milwaukee.
While the expectation of a tough year in the win/loss column is less than enticing, players like Broxton will make this spring, and the entire season, an enjoyable one (with the right mindset). Pay attention to what the organization and industry experts have to say about him as we approach Opening Day.