MESA, Ariz. -- Mark Mathias tallied all of 40 at-bats as a freshman at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2013, so he found a spot to play in the Texas Collegiate League and endured a 115-degree summer. When he returned to school the following season, Mathias hit .386 to win the Big West Conference batting title and conference Player of the Year Award.

It taught Mathias the value of doing a little bit extra. Now, in his first Spring Training with the Brewers, he is doing it again.

The 25-year-old is playing the outfield for the first time since he was a kid, part of a long-shot bid to crack Milwaukee’s Opening Day roster as a utility player. The Brewers picked up Mathias in a minor trade with the Indians in November, before they traded with the Padres for Luis Urías, claimed Ronny Rodríguez off waivers from the Tigers and signed Eric Sogard, Jedd Gyorko and Brock Holt in free agency. All possess the same brand of defensive versatility that Mathias hopes will someday lift him to the Major Leagues. The Brewers have shown an affinity in recent years for players like now-manager Craig Counsell, who started all over the infield during his career.

“I try not to play GM,” Mathias said. “They have a good front office and they’re going to put the best players on the field, and they’re going to put the best team on the field to win ballgames.

“For me, it’s about what I’m doing and how I’m going to be an asset for the team, and how I’m going to be able to help them win games. That’s the only thing I’m focused on. When you get caught up with other stuff that you can’t control, that’s how you get ahead of yourself. I try to be present and stick to the process, as cliché as it sounds. It is sure easy to see all the different signs and stuff, but I try to just focus on what I can control and be where my feet are.”

On Thursday against the Dodgers, Mathias’ feet were in left field, where he made a diving catch to rob Cody Bellinger of a hit before knocking a three-run single.

Here’s a look at where Mathias fits among the cadre of Brewers utility players:

Jedd Gyorko and Eric Sogard
Likely role: Co-third basemen

Lock for Opening Day roster? Yes

MLB starts (Gyorko): 356 second base, 220 third base, 57 shortstop, 14 first base

MLB Starts (Sogard): 377 second base, 91 shortstop, 27 third base, seven outfield

What to know: Rather than chase the likes of Josh Donaldson in free agency or swing a trade for a big-time third baseman, the Brewers opted to platoon at the position with right-handed-hitting Gyorko and left-handed-hitting Sogard, each of whom signed one-year deals with a club option for 2021. The cost: A combined $6.5 million for ‘20. Counsell said he feels comfortable with either player manning shortstop

Brock Holt
Likely role: Utility

Lock for Opening Day roster? Yes

MLB starts: 196 second base, 153 outfield, 104 third base, 44 shortstop, 20 first base

What to know: When Holt signed for one year plus a club option at the start of Spring Training, it represented bad news for Rodríguez and Mathias in terms of cracking the Opening Day roster. Holt, a left-handed hitter, provides backup for regular second baseman Keston Hiura and can also play shortstop, as evidenced by his starts in the Cactus League so far.

Luis Urías
Likely role: Starting shortstop or utility (when healthy)

Lock for Opening Day roster? No

MLB starts: 39 shortstop, 25 second base, 11 second base, one third base

What to know: The Brewers traded for Urías to compete with Orlando Arcia to be the starting shortstop, but he broke the hamate bone in his left hand while playing winter ball in Mexico and required surgery. Urías has been taking infield over the past week but is still working toward hitting, and he’s questionable for Opening Day. If he misses the start of the season, Arcia will get a chance to grab the job.

Ronny Rodríguez
Likely role: Utility or Triple-A infielder

Lock for Opening Day roster? No

MLB starts: 41 second base, 39 shortstop, 19 first base, 11 third base, one outfield

What to know: It was fitting that the Brewers nabbed Rodríguez from the Tigers, the same organization that sent Hernan Perez to Milwaukee via the waiver wire in 2015 when Counsell was a rookie manager. Rodríguez looks a lot like Perez but with a bit more pop in his bat. He’s also an accomplished hip-hop artist, though that’s not among the traits of versatility that interest the Brewers. He has two Minor League options remaining.

Mark Mathias
Likely role: Utility or Triple-A infielder

Lock for Opening Day roster? No

MiLB starts: 295 second base, 94 third base, 23 shortstop, one first base

What to know: The Indians didn’t plan to protect Mathias from the Rule 5 Draft, so the Brewers picked him up at the deadline to decide and added him, along with his full complement of Minor League options, to the 40-man roster. He’s a right-handed hitter drafted in the third round in 2015 and is coming off a solid Triple-A season in which he slashed .269/.355/.442 with a career-best 12 home runs.

When Mathias reported to camp, Counsell stressed to him the value of positional versatility. The Brewers asked him to try the outfield, and Mathias jumped at the opportunity.

“I think the last time I played outfield was [on a] 13-and-under tournament ball team,” Mathias said. “But during the season, I try to go out there and shag BP, just to get my conditioning in. I take my infield work, then go out in the outfield during batting practice and run balls down.”

He’s developed a strategy since Cactus League games began a week ago.

“With infield, you have a shorter arm action, and with the outfield, you’re able to reach back and get some on it,” Mathias said. “It’s a thing where you feel where you’re playing each day, and then mold your day to the position you’re playing. Today I’m playing second base, so at 8:20, I’ll have infield work and I’ll work all infield stuff. It’s good.

“Going out there in left field [on Thursday] and making some plays, it tests my athletic ability to move to my right, move to my left. Definitely builds a sense of confidence, going out there and not having any outfield experience, and being able to go make those athletic plays and lay out, get behind balls, read balls off the bet. It gives me a sense of confidence going into today.”