The Brewers brought first baseman/corner outfielder Jake Bauers back on a minor league contract this afternoon, the team announced. He’ll be in major league camp as a non-roster invitee.
Bauers spent the entire ’24 season in Milwaukee. The Brewers acquired the lefty hitter from the Yankees early last offseason. Bauers took 346 plate appearances across 116 regular season games. He hit .199/.301/.361 with 12 longballs and 13 stolen bases. Bauers walked at a strong 11.3% clip but fanned 34.1% of the time.
That has essentially been the story of his major league career. Bauers carries a .208/.302/.361 batting line in more than 1700 trips to the plate between five teams. He has shown league average power with good walk rates but too many strikeouts. He grades as an average defender at first base with subpar marks on the outfield grass.
While Bauers didn’t have a great regular season, he briefly looked to have cemented himself in franchise lore. In the decisive third game of Milwaukee’s Wild Card series with the Mets, Bauers came up as a pinch-hitter in a scoreless game in the seventh inning. He crushed a no-doubt home run off José Buttó to put Milwaukee ahead. That looked as if it might be a game winner until Pete Alonso’s ninth-inning heroics carried the Mets to victory.
That swing wasn’t enough to keep Milwaukee from running Bauers through outright waivers at the end of the season. He elected free agency but circles back for a second season with the Brew Crew. Rhys Hoskins is back as Milwaukee’s projected starter at first base. Bauers could again compete for a left-handed bench or platoon role.
I wrongly read this as Jack Bauers.
Makes misreading the first line of the second paragraph funnier…
“Bauers spent the entire ’24 season in Milwaukee.”
Jack Bauer spent an entire season of 24 in Milwaukee? What were the terrorists plotting this time? blowing up a brewery?
This guy is a living legend. Might still be playing a first base platoon for the Nashville White Sox in 2031.
Nice for him he got a full year of pay and service time. Not sure how many more chances he deserves though. 1st basemen who can’t hit don’t have long shelf lives.
What about DH’s that can’t hit….say Daniel Vogelbach……sausage sales would go up though!
I guess you just needed to post a dismissive Brewers comment somewhere…
no need to fuel the flames, let the troll wilt and shrivel in neglect
I was surprised by his stat line. He usually seems to take quality at bats. I expected his results to be a little better.
Derp!
Was Joey Gallo busy?
Gallo is getting ready to play in the KBO or NPB, dude was atrocious last year…
You do realize that 85 wins may be enough to win the NL Central?
The Brewers know that signing Bauers to a contract is good publicity for the Brewers faithful, considering that Bauers is a fine German name and most every caucasian person in the Milwaukee area and southern Wisconsin has some or all German grandparents or great-grandparents.
Kinda thought Tyler Black would be in this role but I guess a little competition can’t hurt.
Bauer is quite the guitar player. Obviously signing makes sense.
Even with losing Adames to free agency and trading Devin Williams to the Yankees, I still don’t believe the Brewers will regress in the standings. They’re the Rays of the NL, a retool here and there, and bam! Right back to contending.
I understand the need for a small market to pinch pennies. Still, the Crew can not roll out the same pathetic duo at first base this season. We have plenty of minor league options that can hit above 200. Bauers does not belong on an MLB field, anywhere.