By Jordan Long
The Milwaukee Brewers had one of their best seasons in recent memory. They won the National League Central Division with a record of 96-67 beating out the Chicago Cubs in game 163. The Brewers swept the Colorado Rockies in the National League Division Series. They fell in game 7 of the National League Championship Series to the L.A. Dodgers 5-1. The Brewers were hoping to have 3rd baseman Mike Moustakas back, but he declined a $15 million option and is now a free agent.
Moustakas was traded to the Brewers from the Kansas City Royals on July 28th. The Brewers at the time were 61-46, a half game behind the Cubs for 1st place in the National League Central Division. The Brewers were optimistic his play at 3rd base and at the plate would help this team not only win the division, but also advance in the postseason.
Moustakas hit .256 with 8 home runs. He was able to move his teammates around the base paths when they were in scoring position. Moustakas ended up with 33 RBI’s in a Brewers’ uniform.
His defensive play at 3rd was just average. Moustakas was able to pick the baseball up but he had trouble throwing to 1st, committing 5 errors in 52 games. The Brewers were lucky his errors didn’t end up costing them the division.
In the playoffs Moustakas’ batting average was .200. He had a tough time smacking the baseball and ended up with 13 strike outs. Moustakas didn’t even have a home run. It was a tough postseason for him but the Brewers did advance to the NLCS despite his offensive troubles.
Now that Moustakas is a free agent, teams could be interested in him. Moustakas is a veteran 3rd baseman. He has proven he can still play the position. Franchises could stay away from him because of his errors. Moustakas doesn’t have the most accurate arm to fire the baseball over to 1st base. His offense is why teams will be calling him. Moustakas can hit the long ball and drive in his teammates which could equal more wins. He will be in a MLB uniform in 2019, it’s just a matter of which one.
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