Milwaukee Brewers sign Nick Noonan to MiLB deal

Spring Training officially began today for the Milwaukee Brewers with pitchers and catchers reporting to Maryvale. But that doesn't mean that Slingin' David Stearns is done tinkering with his roster, as the Brewers announced today via Twitter that they've inked veteran infielder Nick Noonan to a minor league contract. The deal does not appear to include an invite to big league camp.

Noonan, who turns 28 in May, began his career as a 1st round pick by the Giants back in 2007. Despite his lofty draft status, Noonan has appeared in only 83 games and logged 155 plate appearances in parts of 3 big league seasons, 2013 and 2015 with San Francisco and 2016 with San Diego. For his MLB career, he owns a .193/.239/.234 batting line with one home run. His calling card is defensive versatility, having appeared at all 4 infield positions during his brief time in The Show, most extensively at second base.

Noonan is a very experienced minor league player having spent 10 seasons as a professional split between the Giants, Yankees, and Padres. He's spent 4 seasons in AAA and in 479 games at the highest level of the minors, he's batted .274/.322/.372 with 21 home runs and 17 stolen bases. He enjoyed one of the most productive seasons of his career in 2016, hitting .301/.338/.427 with 5 home runs in 99 games for San Diego's AAA affiliate.

Without a 40 man spot or an invitation to major league camp, it's exceedingly likely that Noonan begins the season in AAA. He'll serve as a solid veteran depth piece for a young organization but will have a bit of a hill to climb if he's hoping to see the big leagues in 2017.

Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference