In Adam Lind the Brewers currently have a left-handed-hitting first baseman who’s expected to play a lot. That solid foundation is a nice change of pace from the scrum of players the team has tried at the position in recent years. However, the Brewers lack a clear partner for Lind at first base, a player who presumably would bat right-handed. Could the Brewers look to old pal Corey Hart at that spot in 2015?
Cost-controlled rookies Jason Rogers and Matt Clark are also possible fits to platoon with Lind at first base, of course. Rogers bats right-handed, but his ability to provide offense at the major league level is a complete unknown. With Clark the Brewers have a guy who’s produced a little bit at the plate in the majors but he bats left-handed, nixing his potential to seamlessly platoon with Lind.
Free agent Mike Morse, most recently of the Giants, bats right, but he’s going to be paid handsomely and probably would want to play more than part time. The Brewers have already shown an inclination not to re-sign righty-batting Mark Reynolds, though they could reconsider that position. Other possible candidates in a weak class of free agent first basemen like Mike Carp and Daric Barton bat from the left side.
That leaves the question of Corey Hart’s potential return to linger, despite the unlikely nature of a reunion. Hart signed a fairly sizable one-year deal with Seattle for 2014 but then missed most of the season with injuries after sitting out injured his entire final year with the Brewers.
Now a free agent again and in a position to sign a short “make good” type of deal to rebuild value, perhaps Hart could come back to Brew City where he’s had success before and get back to hitting dingers. Though the Brewers wouldn’t have a ton of at-bats for Hart at first base, easing back into action could help Hart get healthy and he could play some outfield and pinch hit if necessary. Naturally, Hart would have to agree to a very low base salary, perhaps with reachable incentives for innings played, etc. He would also have to make the team out of spring training.
Due to all the missed time in the last couple years, it’s hard to know for sure whether Corey Hart is now essentially a designated hitter or if he can still play the field. Frankly it’s unknown if Hart can still play regularly at all on the MLB level.
Still, Hart had his issues in right field with Milwaukee but at first base he was much better than most of the players the Brewers have tried there since Prince Fielder left town. With the payroll reportedly stretched to the limits already, perhaps Hart could be signed to a no-risk deal that could turn into lightning in the bottle for the Brewers.
If it doesn’t work out, the team could always look elsewhere, including Jason Rogers or others already in the pipeline. With the relative scarcity of right-handed-hitting first base types around the market place, the Brewers may need to think outside the box to get good production from that half of the first base platoon.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
