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.