Brewers On Deck notes: Ryan Braun willing to try first base, and maybe second base too

The Brewers On Deck event is in full swing in Milwaukee right now, with plenty of little pieces of news coming out all day. Members of the media had a chance to talk with some of the players this morning, and one of those was Ryan Braun. In his interview, he talked about being willing to try out first base. He also dropped a hint about the possibility of trying second base as well.

While first base is a position that many players move to as they get older, second base is not as common. That can require some extra defensive skills, and Braun hasn’t shown much in his limited time in the infield. It’s true that the Brewers could get some extra playing time by putting him at second. Plus, a lineup with him at second, Thames/Aguilar at first, Shaw at third, and an outfield of Santana/Cain/Yelich would look truly scary. However, it would also present some defensive problems as well, ones that other teams could potentially exploit. If the potential for a lot of offense outweighs that, then it’s at least worth taking a look.

Of course, we should take this with a grain of salt for now. Braun only said he talked with Stearns about it. There’s no confirmation that’s the plan yet, so I wouldn’t start worrying until we see Braun taking ground balls at second base. A lot of different ideas float around during the offseason, and this might just be one of those that’s out there right now.

In other news, Christian Yelich is making his first appearance as a Brewer at the event. He also met with the media today.

We also got confirmation on his jersey number, which will be #22.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo Cain is taking #6, which has belonged to coach Ed Sedar for the last several years. Cain and Sedar had dinner on Saturday night, and Sedar has an idea for his new jersey number.

We’ll have to see if he sticks with that plan in the upcoming season.

Keep checking out Brew Crew Ball today for more news as it comes in from Brewers On Deck.