PHOENIX -- At least one of the Brewers' Spring Training competitions has been resolved: Brice Turang will be the Opening Day second baseman.
Manager Pat Murphy named Turang the starter at second base on Tuesday -- right where the 24-year-old finished off his rookie season after serving as Milwaukee's second baseman during the National League Wild Card Series.
"I think this kid's gonna make a quantum leap," Murphy said. "I think he'll establish himself as an everyday player. I'm really confident."
Entering Spring Training, Willy Adames at shortstop and Rhys Hoskins at first base were the only real locks in the Brewers' 2024 Opening Day infield. Players like Turang, Joey Ortiz, Andruw Monasterio, Christian Arroyo, Oliver Dunn and Tyler Black were competing for spots at second base and third base.
Turang made a strong impact with his speed (26 stolen bases) and defense (+12 Defensive Runs Saved) in 2023, but he wasn't as successful at the plate, batting .218 with a .585 OPS over 448 plate appearances.
"His swing decisions will be better, his contact will be better, and his damage will come," Murphy said. "I don't mind people being alarmed. You could be alarmed by losing [Corbin] Burnes and [Brandon] Woodruff, too, and it's a very good reason to be alarmed. It's my opinion that Turang is gonna respond in a real favorable way."
But that speed and defense stand out enough on their own to earn Turang playing time at the keystone. As if to prove it, just a few hours after Murphy gave him the Opening Day nod, Turang made a terrific defensive play against the Cubs at Sloan Park to take a hit away from Yan Gomes. Turang ranged far up the middle to spear Gomes' chopper. Then, as his momentum took him toward the outfield grass on the far side of the second-base bag, Turang made a long throw across his body to get the out at first.
With Turang named the starting second baseman, that leaves third base as Milwaukee's last open infield position. Murphy wasn't ready to divulge who the Opening Day starter at the hot corner might be, although he, once again, mentioned Sal Frelick.
Frelick, who could also be the starting right fielder but has been taking spring reps at third base, continues to earn praise from Murphy. The versatile, slick-fielding Ortiz, who the Brewers acquired in the Corbin Burnes trade, also seems like a strong candidate to play third base, since Milwaukee will want his glove in the infield as much as possible. Ortiz could also see time at second along with Turang, particularly to match up against left-handed pitchers.
Along with announcing Turang as Milwaukee's starting second baseman, Murphy said that Colin Rea, who threw four hitless innings with seven strikeouts in the Brewers' 6-5 loss to the Cubs, will be part of the Brewers' Opening Day rotation. This spring, Rea has allowed two earned runs across eight innings (2.25 ERA) with 12 strikeouts to two walks. In 2023, Rea appeared in 26 games (22 starts), posting a 4.55 ERA with 110 strikeouts across 124 2/3 innings.