Brewers 3, Guardians 3: Eric Haase might be forcing Milwaukee into a tough roster decision at catcher

PHOENIX – A tradition of spring – no different from running poles for conditioning and drilling home pitchers’ fielding practice – was witnessed by 3,816 onlookers Wednesday afternoon at American Family Fields of Phoenix.

A tie baseball game.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians played to a 3-3 draw through nine innings before opting to forgo any additional play. It was the first tie of spring for both teams.

It was a split squad day for the Brewers, who  earned a crisp 2-0 victory over the Reds in a tidy two hours and six minutes in Goodyear.

Eric Haase contending for an opening day roster spot

Reserve catcher Eric Haase is doing what he can to put himself on the Brewers opening day roster.

Apply the usual caveats about reading too much into spring training results as you see fit, but as manager Pat Murphy pointed out after the game, hitting the ball like Haase is sure is better than striking out every time.

“It doesn’t mean that they’re not good, that’s for sure,” said Murphy, leaving the discerning listener to decipher the carefully selected double negative.

Haase blasted a two-run home run over the elevated portion of the center-field fence in Maryvale against the Guardians and is batting .500 with a 1.319 OPS through his first 14 at-bats as he fights for a spot on the team. The 31 year old backstop, signed to a split contract in the off-season, is on the roster bubble

“He’s been a joy,” Murphy said. “He’s been great to be around. He’s a pro in every sense of the word. A team guy. He’s a dream to have around. I’d want him on any team I’m a part of.”

Haase is the third catcher on the depth chart behind Wiliam Contreras and Gary Sanchez. If Haase is a player Murphy would want on any team he’s coaching, does that mean the Brewers are strongly considering carrying three catchers to start the season?

“Everything is a possibility,” Murphy said.

Carrying three catchers is something the Brewers have rarely done in past years. They did it briefly in 2022 when Pedro Severino returned from a suspension but even that experiment didn’t last long.

So, what would it take for Milwaukee to carry three catchers?

“The thing is, you got to look at how it affects everything,” Murphy said. “William’s going to catch a whole bunch, so we will see what makes sense. We’ll see what makes sense.”

The Brewers – no question about it – would love to keep Haase in the organization in some way. He handles a staff well and, despite struggling mightily at the plate last year, has some proven ability at the plate as evidenced by his 108 OPS+ across 2021 and 2022.

But Haase is out of options and, because he’s on a split contract, would have to clear waivers to remain with the Brewers organization.

How Gary Sanchez’s situation could affect Haase and the catching outlook

Sanchez has yet to play in Cactus League play while recovering from a right hand injury suffered while lifting weights in the offseason. The Brewers are targeting March 14 as a return to game action for the 31-year-old, which would give him two weeks’ runway before opening day March 28 in New York.

If it turns out Sanchez is not fully recovered to be able to handle the requisite catching and batting workload by the end of the month, then perhaps that’s another avenue for Haase to crack the roster.

Bryse Wilson is getting stretched out this spring

The box score in Goodyear flashed an interesting nugget with Bryse Wilson going three innings, which is the same length into games as the Brewers’ primary starters are currently going. While this doesn’t mean Wilson, who allowed one hit, is seen as a starter – Milwaukee already has a litany of rotation options in camp – there is a concerted effort to get Wilson stretched out more than usual.

“Yeah, we have a need,” Murphy said.

Quotable

“It’d be great if you guys could throw five innings,” Murphy to reporters, when discussing the need to stretch pitchers like Wilson out to cover the necessary innings.

Jackson Chourio watch

Chourio batted leadoff and played center field in Goodyear, going 1 for 4 with a run scored and a strikeout. He’s batting .296 with a .752 OPS this spring.

Coming up

Brewers at White Sox, 2:10 p.m. Thursday. Milwaukee LHP Aaron Ashby vs. Chicago RHP Dylan Cease. Webcast: Brewers.com

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers 3, Guardians 3: Eric Haase could make Milwaukee carry three catchers