When the Milwaukee Brewers began the 2012 season, Mat Gamel had taken over as the starting first baseman, with Travis Ishikawa as his backup. Corey Hart was also expected to make an occasional appearance at first base, but was primarily the team's right fielder.
That arrangement didn't last very long. Gamel went on the disabled list May 3rd with a season ending torn ACL, and Ishikawa went down in late May with an injury and missed about a month. Hart quickly found himself playing a lot more first base than he or anyone else expected.
It wasn't completely new to him, as he'd played 179 games at first in the minor leagues, but he had not played the position at any level since 2006. Fortunately, Hart has been up to the challenge and has played very well at first. He has been impressive enough that when Ishikawa returned in late June, Hart continued to start at first base and I'd like to see him remain as the starting first baseman.
There's a lot to like about Hart as a first baseman, starting with his size. At six feet six inches tall, he can reach a lot of errant throws and still keep his foot on the bag. As of the All Star break, Hart had played in 39 games at first base and handled 311 chances without committing an error. That's not a large sample size, but it's enough to convince me that he's not a defensive liability even with his limited experience at the position. Hart also provides more offense than Ishikawa.
Moving Hart to first has also provided Norichika Aoki with more chances to play regularly. At the beginning of the season, it seemed like the Brewers didn't quite know what to do with Aoki, who was limited to pinch hitting and occasional starts. With regular playing time, he's developed into a valuable hitter (.301 average at the All Star break) for the top part of the batting order. Aoki has also made some great catches in the outfield. He's too valuable to be stuck on the bench, and with Hart at first on a regular basis, Aoki can be the everyday right fielder.
Having Hart as the regular first baseman and Aoki as the regular right fielder is the best combination of both offense and defense at those two positions with the current roster of players. If Hart continues to play well at first, it could also set up an interesting situation in Spring Training next year when Gamel returns.
A Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, Mark Hudziak has been a fan of the Brewers since they moved to Milwaukee in 1970.
Sources:
Milwaukee Brewers at Yahoo! Sports
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