The Brewers on Friday recalled outfielder Keon Broxton from Triple-A Colorado Springs after placing rightfielder Domingo Santana on the 15-day disabled list because of right shoulder soreness.
This is Broxton's second stint in Milwaukee, as he started the season with the big-league club before quickly playing himself back to the minors. In 18 plate appearances over six games with the Brewers, Broxton was hitless with 11 strikeouts. Not great!
But after being sent down, Broxton has seemed to rediscover his swing. He's batted .301/.390/.593 in 25 games with the Sky Sox with seven home runs, 21 runs, 18 RBI and 15 stolen bases. In his last 10 games, Broxton has four homers and 10 steals. Nice!
Since we went on record before the season began predicting Broxton would be the Opening Day starting centerfielder – we were right! – and also projecting big things for the physically gifted 26-year-old – thus far not as right! – we felt compelled to compile a more reasonable set of expectations for the prospect we so irrationally love this time around.
Here are seven things we want to see Keon Broxton do with the Brewers:
1. Get a hit
Preferably tonight, as he's being inserted right into the starting lineup, so that he can keep his hot streak going. Broxton still doesn't have a base hit in the majors (he had two plate appearances with the Pirates last year), and it will help his confidence a lot to reach base via a batted fair ball early on.
2. Then get a bunch more
In Broxton's eight-season minor-league career, he has a .255 batting average, so – even despite his recent success – it would be unrealistic to suddenly expect him to start raking in the bigs. In each of the last three years, however, his average has been at least .273. If he can routinely go 1 for 4 with Milwaukee, we'll be happy.
3. Have a .350 on-base percentage
A .350 on-base percentage is considered pretty good, and Broxton has been above that number each of the last three seasons. He doesn't walk very often, but his speed helps him reach base on infield grounders that would be outs for other players. Santana managed an on-base percentage of .353 despite a .239 batting average, so Broxton should be able to do it.
4. No golden sombreros
A golden sombrero is when a player goes 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in a game. It's terrible. Broxton has shown an incredible ability to strike out in the majors (12 in 20 career plate appearances), so we'll call it a victory if he even Ks in fewer than half of his at-bats.
5. Steal a base per game
The Brewers have only recently started to run more. And why wouldn't they? Besides maybe three players, it's a pretty impotent lineup, and expectations are low, so why not be aggressive and try and manufacture some runs on the basepaths? Broxton won't be starting every game, especially given how Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been playing lately, and if he can't get on base, he obviously can't steal any. But when he plays, he should have a permanent green light to steal every time he's on base. The dude can fly.
6. Rob a home run
On Opening Day, regardless of his offensive struggles, Broxton showed off his defense with a beautiful running catch. We need more web gems in Milwaukee, lest the late-night sports networks forget the Brewers are playing games this season. Broxton has the legs, the hops and the glove to pull off a leaping Carlos Gomez home-run robbery; and if he's saving runs in the outfield, he doesn't have to worry as much about costing them at the plate.
7. Homer off the Cardinals
We all hate the Cardinals, so if Broxton mashes a tater against St. Louis when the Cards are at Miller Park in a week and a half, he'll endear himself forever (or for the day) to Brewers fans. He already has seven in 25 minor-league games this year; projected over a full season, that would be, like, 49 taters. Get mashing!
What do you want to see Keon Broxton do in his second stint with the Brewers? Let us know in the comments, preferably before he gets sent down again!
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
