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The Brewers signed two non-roster invitees, righthanded pitcher Hobie Harris and infielder Andruw Monasterio, to minor league contracts this week.
Brewers announce RHP Hobie Harris and INF Andruw Monasterio have been signed to minor league contracts with invitations to major-league spring training.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) November 10, 2021
RHP Hobie Harris, 28, is the second reliever the Brewers have signed this offseason. Harris’ strongest pitch on its own merits is his fastball, which touches 99 and regularly sits in the mid-90s. He also mixes in a solid curveball and change-up as out-getters.
Harris has a 3.92 ERA across his seven minor league seasons. He spent 2021 with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, recording a 3.92 ERA and notching 51 strikeouts over 43.2 innings, good for 10.5 strikeouts per nine. He can occupy three or four innings in relief and has the potential to fill any role out of the bullpen. He was on the cusp of major league readiness for the Blue Jays in 2021 and could make an impact in relief for the Brewers in 2022.
Infielder Andruw Monasterio, 24, is the type of versatile, ranging infielder the Brewers’ system loves. Monasterio, who profiles well in a utility role, has the quickness to play anywhere in the infield and has minor league experience at second, third, and shortstop.
Offensively, Monasterio gets on base. His .371 OBP bolsters his .812 OPS. He’s struck out more frequently in the upper levels of the minor leagues (in 2021, 25% at AA and 28.5% at AAA), but he also has added a bit more power while maintaining an impressive on-base percentage. In 2021, he cracked .400 SLG for the first time across a season. He also hit more home runs (eight across 434 plate appearances, but it’s something) than the rest of his minor league seasons (dating back to 2014) combined.
Brewers fans should get their first glimpses of Harris and Monasterio at Spring Training in 2022, and in a year when a labor dispute blackout is likely, they could get plenty of reps in spring training as non-roster invitees. NRI’s are not part of the MLBPA and historically attend spring training in blackout years.
Statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs.