Or: Should Joey Ortiz Play Every Day?
Stats in this article are current as of the end of Sunday’s games.
Platooning! Ever since the 1887 Indianapolis Hoosiers decided that they were better off with left-handed-hitting Tom Brown in center field against righties than the right-handed Gid Gardner, platooning has been part of baseball. At the moment, the Milwaukee Brewers are not using any strict platoons, but it has been a topic of discussion this week, as Joey Ortiz—one of the team’s hotter hitters—was on the bench in four straight games while Oliver Dunn started as the team’s third baseman.
I thought it might be a good time to dive a little deeper into the platoon options available on the Brewers, and where it may or may not make sense to utilize a platoon. I didn’t look at every position on the roster, though I at least looked into most of them; William Contreras, Willy Adames, and Christian Yelich seem safe from any platooning, so they’re not discussed here. Rhys Hoskins likely also fits that bill, but I wanted to look in on his numbers as the team does have left-handed options at first base.
A quick statistical definition before we go, as I use a couple of unfamiliar stats that Baseball Reference uses when discussing splits:
- tOPS+: adjusted OPS for split relative to a player’s total OPS (how much better or worse are his numbers against that type of pitcher than his overall numbers?)
- sOPS+: adjusted OPS for split relative to the league’s OPS for that split (how much better or worse is he against that type of pitcher than the rest of the league?)
First Base/Designated Hitter
Jake Bauers (LH)
2024 vs. RHP: 70 PA, .200/.257/.369, 102 tOPS+, 79 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 3 PA, 0-for-2 with a walk
Career vs. RHP: 1,136 PA, .210/.307/.371, 105 tOPS+
Career vs. LHP: 335 PA, .209/.276/.328, 83 tOPS+
Bauers, a lefty, is slightly better versus right-handed pitching, but he’s not very good against either, and that’s true for his whole career. He should basically never hit against lefties, and his appearances versus right-handers should be limited.
Tyler Black (LH)
2024 MiLB vs. RHP: 114 PA, .263/.342/.475
2024 MiLB vs. LHP: 23 PA, .421/.522/.579
2023 MiLB vs. RHP: 424 PA, .290/.430/.540
2023 MiLB vs. LHP: 134 PA, .270/.373/.435
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 201 PA, .273/.398/.412
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 82 PA, .303/.427/.455
Black crushed lefties in the minors this season but it’s a small enough sample to be a statistical aberration. Black was better against lefties in 2022, but in larger samples in 2023 he hit better across the board against righties: more average, more walks, more power.
Rhys Hoskins (RH)
2024 vs. RHP: 114 PA, .240/.333/.440, 103 tOPS+, 122 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 16 PA, .091/.313/.364, 79 tOPS+, 93 sOPS+
Career vs. RHP: 2,212 PA, .240/.336/.480, 93 tOPS+
Career vs. LHP: 795 PA, .248/.397/.519, 119 tOPS+
Hoskins isn’t really in any danger of losing any at-bats to a platoon split, but I wanted to see him in here for comparison. He has struggled versus lefties this season but that’s a major small sample size alert: over his career, Hoskins is a clearly better hitter against lefties; he sees the ball better and hits for more power.
Gary Sánchez (RH)
2024 vs. RHP: 39 PA, .229/.308/.400, 96 tOPS+, 104 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 14 PA, .154/.214/.615, 110 tOPS+, 127 sOPS+
2023 vs. RHP: 188 PA, .194/.282/.406, 80 tOPS+, 87 sOPS+
2023 vs. LHP: 79 PA, .267/.304/.680, 144 tOPS+, 157 sOPS+
Career vs. RHP: 2,201 PA, .228/.308/.463, 98 tOPS+
Career vs. LHP: 784 PA, .214/.313/.486, 105 tOPS+
(Note: Sánchez homered again against a lefty in Monday night’s game, which is not reflected in these stats.)
Sánchez’s platoon splits have become more pronounced as his career has advanced; he was a much more balanced hitter early on. But as he has committed to a three-true-outcomes approach, he has become a much better hitter against lefties than righties.
Conclusions: Bauers should never bat against a left-handed pitcher, and his at-bats against righties should be limited. The long-term goal should be for Black to be an everyday player, given that he’s had runs of success against lefties in the minors. In the short term, though, the team should get both Hoskins and Sánchez in the lineup versus lefties, so Black should only play against lefties if Contreras is getting a rare day off and Sánchez is catching.
Second Base/Third Base
Oliver Dunn (LH)
2024 vs. RHP: 73 PA, .246/.288/.362, 111 tOPS+, 87 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 0-for-4, 3 K
2023 MiLB vs. RHP: 429 PA, .272/.392/.527
2023 MiLB vs. LHP: 76 PA, .267/.421/.383
Dunn hasn’t been given a chance to hit big-league lefties, really, but he probably shouldn’t be given that chance unless his numbers against right-handers improve. Though he hit for nearly the same average and walked more against lefties in the minors last year, he showed far more power against right-handers.
Joey Ortiz (RH)
2024 vs. RHP: 59 PA, .333/.441/.542, 137 tOPS+, 184 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 21 PA, .111/.238/.167, -1 tOPS+, 19 sOPS+
2023 MiLB vs. RHP: 296 PA, .307/.345/.496
2023 MiLB vs. LHP: 127 PA, .324/.409/.454
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 483 PA, .273/.334/.456
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 117 PA, .330/.410/.570
Ortiz raked against lefties the last two seasons in the minor leagues, but he was still good against right-handers, particularly last season (when he hit for more power against righties). This year in the majors, though, he has been exceptional against right-handed pitchers—a reverse split—and struggled versus lefties. Both those numbers will regress toward the mean, but Ortiz looks like a pretty even split guy.
Brice Turang (LH)
2024 vs. RHP: 103 PA, .312/.369/.430, 105 tOPS+, 131 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 17 PA, .214/.353/.286, 66 tOPS+, 86 sOPS+
2023 vs. RHP: 375 PA, .224/.287/.321, 108 tOPS+, 68 sOPS+
2023 vs. LHP: 73 PA, .188/.278/.188, 60 tOPS+, 31 sOPS+
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 399 PA, .282/.353/.413
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 204 PA, .293/.373/.409
2021 MiLB vs. RHP: 368 PA, .255/.338/.373
2021 MiLB vs. LHP: 128 PA, .266/.375/.330
Turang was pretty even against both sides in the minor leagues in both 2021 and 2022. Last season he struggled from both sides but was clearly better against righties, and this season he’s only got 17 plate appearances against lefties and while he’s better than last year, he’s still been significantly better against righties. The Brewers don’t seem to show any desire to sit Turang against left-handed pitchers, as they seem to value his defense and baserunning enough to leave him in the lineup every day. As a major leaguer, though, Turang has a clear platoon advantage against righties, but given his minor league record, the team may have reason to believe that it will level out with reps.
Conclusions: Joey Ortiz should be playing every day. Dunn is fine as a utility guy against right-handed pitchers, but he shouldn’t be keeping Ortiz on the bench. Turang is likely a better option than Dunn against both right- and left-handed pitchers, though the team has shown no inclination to put him on the bench except for the occasional day off. If it were me, I would start Turang, Ortiz, and Adames in the infield every day regardless of the pitcher, with Dunn an option when one of them needs an off day.
Outfield
Jackson Chourio (RH)
2024 vs. RHP: 94 PA, .225/.247/.382, 102 tOPS+, 79 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 20 PA, .188/.350/.188, 86 tOPS+, 59 sOPS+
2023 MiLB vs. RHP: 407 PA, .296/.337/.482
2023 MiLB vs. LHP: 176 PA, .248/.341/.431
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 357 PA, .296/.345/.579
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 82 PA, .250/.329/.347
Thus far in his young career, Chourio has been a reverse split player. He will probably grow into hitting lefties, but it does not make sense to platoon him at this point, unless you’re going to keep him on the bench against lefties, which I don’t love for developmental reasons.
Sal Frelick (LH)
2024 vs. RHP: 120 PA, .243/.325/.308, 98 tOPS+, 85 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 8 PA, 3-for-8
2023 vs. RHP: 180 PA, .261/.356/.366, 109 tOPS+, 100 sOPS+
2023 vs. LHP: 43 PA, .184/.279/.290, 64 tOPS+, 56 sOPS+
2023 MiLB vs. RHP: 316 PA, .258/.355/.367
2023 MiLB vs. LHP: 102 PA, .220/.304/.308
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 396 PA, .335/.398/.492
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 166 PA, .321/.415/.450
My first reaction looking at Frelick’s splits is “wow, how can we get him back to where he was in 2022?” My second reaction is that he has definitely been better against right-handed pitchers, but in his strong ’22 campaign, he was pretty evenly split.
Garrett Mitchell (LH)
Career vs. RHP (MLB): 130 PA, .274/.346/.436
Career vs. LHP (MLB): 11 PA, 3-for-9, a home run, two sacrifices
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 256 PA, .310/.387/.460
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 87 PA, .276/.361/.408
2021 MiLB vs. LHP: 205 PA, .270/.381/.437
2021 MiLB vs. RHP: 63 PA, .213/.413/.319
Not a ton of data over the last two years for Mitchell so it’s difficult to make any conclusions. In the minor leagues from 2021-22, he was definitely better against right-handed pitching, but his ’22 numbers against lefties aren’t bad.
Blake Perkins (SH)
2024 vs. RHP: 87 PA, .293/.391/.507, 123 tOPS+, 158 sOPS+
2024 vs. LHP: 22 PA, .158/.273/.158, 11 tOPS+, 27 sOPS+
2023 vs. RHP: 110 PA, .231/.352/.363, 112 tOPS+, 98 sOPS+
2023 vs. LHP: 58 PA, .192/.276/.327, 78 tOPS+, 64 sOPS+
2023 MiLB vs. RHP: 244 PA, .244/.368/.363
2023 MiLB vs. LHP: 105 PA, .299/.343/.546
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 306 PA, .234/.342/.461
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 72 PA, .292/.398/.444
Perkins is, of course, a switch hitter. But he’s kind of hard to peg; in his two major-league seasons, he has been a better hitter from the left side, but in his last two seasons in the minors, he was clearly better from the right. Samples remain small. Conclusions are elusive.
Joey Wiemer (RH)
2023 vs. RHP: 289 PA, .175/.277/.291, 78 tOPS+, 57 sOPS+
2023 vs. LHP: 121 PA, .267/.298/.517, 148 tOPS+, 116 sOPS+
2022 MiLB vs. RHP: 390 PA, .256/.328/.471
2022 MiLB vs. LHP: 158 PA, .257/.354/.449
Tough to draw any conclusions from this season’s numbers so I just left them out. Wiemer’s tough overall season last year masked the fact that he was a solid hitter against lefties, a real power threat.
Conclusions: If they’re ever all healthy and on the major league roster together, it’s worth exploring a platoon where Joey Wiemer plays against left-handed pitchers. He’s just as good defensively as Frelick and Mitchell, and clearly more of a threat with the bat in that matchup. Who knows what the team will look like when Mitchell does make his return; in the short term, Frelick, Chourio, and Perkins should start against righties. I don’t think it makes sense to give Bauers starts over Chourio, as Chourio is better against righties than lefties. Given how difficult it is to find playing time for Bauers, I expect he will be the guy to go when Yelich is activated, hopefully this week.
TL;DR
Here’s what I’d use as my default lineups in an imaginary world where all the outfielders (except Mitchell, I’m ignoring him for now) were healthy and available:
Against RHP:
C: William Contreras
1B/DH: Tyler Black
1B/DH: Rhys Hoskins
2B: Brice Turang
3B: Joey Ortiz
SS: Willy Adames
LF: Christian Yelich
CF: Blake Perkins or Sal Frelick
RF: Jackson Chourio
Against LHP:
C: William Contreras
1B: Rhys Hoskins
2B: Brice Turang
3B: Joey Ortiz
SS: Willy Adames
LF: Christian Yelich
CF: Blake Perkins or Jackson Chourio
RF: Joey Wiemer
DH: Gary Sánchez