When the Brewers summoned Jonathan Lucroy from Class AAA Nashville last May, they weren't looking for offensive help.

Starting catcher Gregg Zaun was lost for the season with a shoulder injury and the team needed somebody to share time behind the plate with George Kottaras.

With prospect Angel Salome out of the system to deal with personal issues, the Brewers summoned Lucroy, who had compiled all of 80 at-bats with the Sounds.

The move worked out as Lucroy went on to play 75 games for Milwaukee, finishing with a respectable .253 average, four home runs and 26 RBI. Not bad numbers for a rookie who began the season in Class AA, but as far as Lucroy was concerned, the results were completely unacceptable.

"I knew I was better than I showed," Lucroy says. "I've always felt like that. I've always been very confident in my hitting ability. Last year was a failure for me because I didn't feel like I hit up to my standards."

Penciled in as the Opening Day starter in 2011, Lucroy arrived in camp ready to take the next step in his development but quickly found himself watching from the sidelines after breaking a finger.

He wasn't even able to swing a bat until the final days of camp and opened the regular season on a minor league rehabilitation assignment. Lucroy spent four games with Class AA Huntsville, going 3-for-11 with a double and four RBI before getting the call back to Milwaukee.

Since returning to the Brewers April 11, he's been one of the team's most consistent hitters and carries a .327 average with five home runs and 22 RBI into this weekend's series with San Francisco.

The numbers don't appear to be a fluke either. Though known for his work behind the plate, Lucroy has been very talented with the bat. He hit .301 in 2008, playing for the Brewers' Class A affiliates in West Virginia and Brevard County, adding 20 home runs and 77 RBI.

A year later, his numbers fell off slightly (.267, 9 HR) but he still led Class AA Huntsville with 66 RBI, 32 doubles and 78 walks.

"I'm just trying to get back to where I used to be," Lucroy says.

Not long after being hired by the Brewers, manager Ron Roenicke went over his lineup. He knew he had talented sluggers like Rickie Weeks, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart. Lucroy, however, was a bit of an unknown.

Hitting coach Dale Sveum, though, reassured the manager that Lucroy would be alright in the everyday lineup.

"Dale told me in the winter meetings that he thought (Lucroy) was going to be a good offensive player," Roenicke says. "I don't know if Dale thought he was going to do this much, but Dale told me he was going to be a good hitter."

Defensively, Lucroy has never been a concern. He works hard to learn about the pitchers on the staff, spending countless hours in the video room. Roenicke says that all the work Lucroy puts in on the defensive side of things has allowed him to relax more when he steps into the batter's box.

"I think he's relaxed and confident offensively, and that's why he's doing so well," says Roenicke. "Defensively, I know he still gets upset about some things that happen."

Lucroy readily admits that, for all his success at the plate, he's "never going to be a Ryan Braun." The Brewers' All-Star left fielder, though, has no doubt that Lucroy can be a star.

"He works so hard and takes so much pride in what he does," Braun says. "You know he's the type of person who's going to get the most out of his ability, and get better and better. He's been incredible for us this year."