Last September, the Brewers made an unconventional move — surprise, surprise — in designating minor-league pitcher Trey Supak for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for the recently claimed outfielder Billy McKinney.
In 2019, Supak was a Class-AA All-Star. His advanced numbers weren’t as bullish as his ERA, but he still showed some promise. Meanwhile, after parts of three seasons, the Blue Jays discarded McKinney, 25 at the time with no track record of consistent playing time or success in the majors, making him available.
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There was also this: There was no guarantee that McKinney would ever need to play in 2020 for the Brewers. Spoiler: He didn’t.
Seven months later, however, Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns can say, “I told you so,” because, well, he did.
“It’s a nod to future years, someone we think has the potential to impact our team down the road,” Stearns said on Sept. 14, the day Milwaukee added McKinney.
That’s right. While competing for a playoff spot, the Brewers added someone who wasn’t an obvious fit to their roster. They figured, given their roster uncertainty, with decisions on players such as outfielder Ben Gamel (a left-handed batter just like McKinney) looming in the offseason, they might eventually need McKinney.
It’s days like Monday and Tuesday in San Diego that show off just how savvy and forward-thinking the Brewers front office is when it comes to squeezing out drops of value from every spot on a 40-man roster.
McKinney hit a home run Tuesday for the second straight night at Petco Park as the Brewers took the first two games of a three-game series against the Padres. His diving catch in left field during the fourth inning is likely the best defensive highlight of the Brewers’ season. As the ball sailed toward the final feet of fair territory in deep left field off the bat of Wil Myers, McKinney raced over. While on the run, he extended his right arm as far as possible to make the catch just as he crashed to the ground. Inning over. He had preserved a shutout. On the mound, Brewers pitcher Corbin Burnes lifted both arms and kept them in the air for several seconds. “By far,” Burnes said, “that was the play of the year.”
The Brewers are 10-7 mainly because of their elite starting pitching. Burnes now has 40 strikeouts without a walk to start the season — an MLB record. It’s been that kind of good.
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But the depth of the roster and how it was constructed is also paying dividends for the Brewers.
The Brewers are winning games, beating a terrific team like the Padres, without Christian Yelich, Kolten Wong and Lorenzo Cain.
Where would they be without fringe roster player McKinney?
McKinney made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster after consistently putting together quality at-bats in spring training and because the days off on the schedule negated a need for an additional pitcher. For McKinney to have an opportunity to consistently make an impact, however, the injuries had to happen. And then he had to produce.
But it all started with the Brewers pouncing on the waiver wire last September.
Once McKinney became available, the figurative alarms on the Brewers’ projection models started buzzing. The reaction was: “How could this guy be available?” Most players who end up on waivers either don’t jump out on the projections or won’t be a roster fit. McKinney was different. The Brewers pegged him as an average major-league hitter. Those players don’t belong on the waiver wire. Not usually, anyway. He also had an intriguing background as a former first-round draft pick. He forced the Brewers to dig into the numbers. From there, they made a decision.
Here’s how Stearns described McKinney last September: “He’s an athletic, left-handed-hitting outfielder. He can play multiple positions. He also has experience at first base. He’s got impact in his bat. He has demonstrated power at the minor league. He has demonstrated the ability to get on base. He hasn’t had a really consistent opportunity at the major-league level. But there are skills there that we think can potentially translate to the major-league level.”
Turns out they have. In 34 plate appearances, McKinney is slashing .303/.324/.545, with success coming as a pinch hitter before Yelich’s back injury created an opening in left field. Whether playing right field or left field, McKinney has made a few plays that have saved runs because of an ability to cut off balls in the outfield and prevent runners from taking extra bases.
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“When I came over last year, obviously I wanted to play, but I was glad just to be around the team and get to know the guys,” McKinney said. “I understood why I didn’t play just because they had their team set. They were ready for the playoffs, so you don’t really want to mess with that team camaraderie. So, I mean, I understood.
“It’s just a joy to just get opportunities when I can and try to help the team win because everybody’s hungry to get a win every night.”
It’s only April, and the reality is the Brewers hope to soon get healthier and not need to rely on McKinney as much or, for that matter, Daniel Vogelbach, another waiver-wire claim from late last year whom they’ve hit on. But even if it’s just in the short term or in short bursts, the production from the deeper end of the roster exemplifies part of the front office’s vision. Led by Stearns and general manager Matt Arnold, the Brewers value the back end of the 40-man roster. They tend to strike a good balance between stashing prospects and depth. The addition of someone like McKinney tends to initially force outside observers to scratch their heads, but for a team with a limited payroll, having quality, major-league-ready depth means everything.
“That’s a testament to David, Matt and the front-office guys,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s a very good testament to that. Billy was claimed late last year. He came to spring training as an out-of-options player with a ‘who knows’ chance with everything else going on with the team, but he made it through. We kept him because of the way the roster and how the schedule was situated, and then he performed. And sometimes that’s how you catch a break, but it’s also part of a good process that David and Matt have cemented in our decision-making.”
(Photo: Denis Poroy / Getty Images)