Milwaukee Brewers: Caleb Durbin Has Rediscovered Hitting Stroke After Dismal 1st Half of May

Needless to say, it is a relief to see him get back on track; hopefully he can sustain a baseline level of production. He actually had a decent April, slashing .263/.356/.395 in 38 at bats, but a 5 for 51 slump afterward dissolved any good feeling. With Ortiz also struggling dreadfully, the Brewers had no production whatsoever from that side of the infield. Compare that to last year, when Ortiz and Willy Adames combined for 43 homeruns, 172 RBIs and 5.7 Wins Above Replacement.

As a rookie, Durbin was not expected to replicate a veteran’s production, but as such, his play this season is all there is to judge him by. A slow start is less concerning when a player has the track record to suggest that a turnaround is coming. Credit to Durbin, he has allayed some of that concern for now.

Better Version of Durbin Supporting Milwaukee Brewers’ Win Streak

Durbin’s improvements haven’t come in the batter’s box alone. His performance in the field has been better, too, as suggested by a four-run increase in defensive runs saved, from -1 to +3, in less than three weeks. Some of that may be the variance of a small sample, heavily influenced by a handful of good plays (and defensive metrics overall tend to be inconsistent from season to season, to say nothing of month to month), but whichever way you cut it, the reversal is a positive indicator.

At the plate, his own improved hitting coincides with hot streaks from Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich. The latter left Sunday’s game after being hit by the pitch (X-rays negative), but mashing from those two have helped key the Brewers’ seven-game win streak. Durbin’s lesser but significant contributions have supported the team’s offensive upswing following an ice-cold start.

A sight for sore eyes, Ortiz has also picked it up a little since hitting his first homerun of the season late last month. If that trend continues, and if Durbin can maintain some level of productiveness at third, the bottom of Milwaukee’s lineup will look a lot different than the sinkhole it has been for much of the season.