Brewers' Yadiel Rivera Needs Consistent ABs Wherever He Is
Even when just about everyone is in agreement on the importance of a true rebuild for the Milwaukee Brewers, there remain challenging roster decisions that may impact the club and individual players now and in the future.
Slick-fielding shortstop Yadiel Rivera will be one of those tough calls when it comes to determining the 25-man roster for Opening Day. If we're going on past performance, Spring Training success and overall talent, he'd be a slam dunk for Miller Park on April 4.
Perhaps he still should be on that plane flying north, but it's all a bit more complicated for the soon-to-be 24-year-old Rivera...and the franchise as well.
My view is this...
If he's going to be with the Major League club, then Rivera needs to be starting at least 5 out of every 7 games. Since manager Craig Counsell declared Johnathan Villar the starting shortstop, that would mean moving Rivera around the diamond throughout each week
Rivera's defense prowess has never been in question, often touted among the best in the Brewers' organization, so that wouldn't be the problem. He needs to keep grinding as a hitter.
If the Brewers are not going to commit to getting him around 115-120 starts (around 500 plate appearances) during the season, then he should start in Triple-A to play every day, improve offensively (a work in progress), and learn to become the best utility infielder in the organization.
Of course, the reason Rivera isn't necessarily being groomed as a shortstop anymore is because of the clear path top prospect Orlando Arcia has created for that position. Rivera could conceivably be his double play partner, but Scooter Gennett has the incumbency at second base with Milwaukee.
Despite Rivera's big numbers this spring (.364 AVG, 1.218 OPS, 4 doubles, 3 HR), his bat has lagged well behind his glove. In 6 minor league seasons, Rivera has hit just .244 with a .289 OBP and .639 OPS.
That's not to say he won't continue to develop skills at the plate, but the question is where will he be able to effectively hone that ability - the majors or the minors?
Moving a young player around the diamond while only giving him sporadic starts against MLB pitchers is often a recipe for disaster. Making him the starting second baseman for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in Triple-A to get him a maximum amount of plate appearances is clearly ideal.
The organization can still have Rivera play multiple positions down there, but he would know he has an everyday job and can focus on where he needs to improve when he's at the dish.
Again, I'm not opposed to Rivera being the high-quality utility glove for the big league club, though it has to come with a guaranteed amount of playing time on a weekly basis. Maybe Counsell shouldn't have handed the starting shortstop job to Villar and the third base role to veteran Aaron Hill so quickly.
If Counsell is willing to have Rivera split time with Hill, Villar and Gennett (versus lefties for sure), then it could certainly work to the team's benefit - as well as the betterment of Rivera.
The funny thing is, all of these factors may not play the biggest role. Should GM David Stearns look to safely keep young depth throughout the organization, he may choose another strategy.
Perhaps he goes with Hernan Perez and Rule-5 pick Colin Walsh as the two infielders to keep on the MLB roster. Perez can back up all positions, though he would need to be added to the 40-man roster at the expense of another player.
Walsh, of course, needs to stay on the MLB roster the whole season or be offered back to the Oakland A's. He's proven his OBP skills aren't a fluke this spring and he could be a valuable bench piece as a switch-hitter who knows how to get on base (.414 OBP in 3 seasons in Double-A).
Keeping these two in Milwaukee would send Rivera to the minors and ensure all 3 remain a part of the organization.
No matter what decision the Brewers make, it will undoubtedly be one of the more challenging calls they'll have, in part because you like to reward a player like Rivera by putting him in the The Show...but you also need to look out for the franchise as a whole - today and down the road.