Brewers get a visit from Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield
PHOENIX – An intriguing prospect with five-tool potential appeared in the Milwaukee Brewers’ clubhouse in Maryvale on Friday morning:
Cleveland Browns quarterback and 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield.
A friend of Christian Yelich's, Mayfield was given his own locker next to the reigning National League most valuable player that contained workout gear and a uniform complete with a MAYFIELD 6 Brewers jersey (apologies to Lorenzo Cain).
The plan was for Mayfield to suit up and practice with the Brewers before their game against the San Diego Padres at American Family Fields of Phoenix.
Mayfield wasn’t exactly sure what he’d be doing when he spoke to reporters, but was excited nonetheless.
“You guys are going to find out. I don’t know,” Mayfield said. “As much as Craig (Counsell) will allow me. I’m just having fun. I came out to hang out. Haven’t been to spring training ever. Then I go from that to participating in it, so we’ll see what happens.”
As it turned out, Mayfield got plenty of run.
After taking part in the team meeting -- "he was part of the team from the first second he was in the room. He’s a leader, there’s no question about it," said Counsell -- Mayfield grabbed one of Yelich's gloves and didn't look too out of place among Milwaukee's outfielders as they tracked down fly balls from coach Ed Sedar.
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Then it was time for batting practice. Swinging a Yelich model Louisville Slugger bat emblazoned with his own name on the barrel, Mayfield took a full round. A left-handed hitter, Mayfield took dozens of healthy swings and again didn't appear out of place at all by generating plenty of line drives.
"Look, it's not that easy to just step into a major-league cage. I thought he swung the bat really well," Counsell said. "We played a game today, a point game, and he was in the game until the last round.
"Against major-league hitters, that's pretty darn good."
Yelich and Mayfield became friends after meeting at the same workout facility -- Proactive Sports Performance in Westlake Village, California.
Mayfield had just won the Heisman Trophy after a superlative 2017 season at the University of Oklahoma and was training for the upcoming NFL combine. Yelich, meanwhile, was doing his usual off-season workouts leading into his first season with the Brewers.
"We were in there at the same time every day for about two months and just ended up becoming buddies and stayed in touch," Yelich said.
"It was one of those mutual-respect things," Mayfield added. "He’s just so nice, such a down-to-earth guy. Having real conversations. There’s nothing phony about him. What you see is what you get."
Mayfield went on to be picked first overall in the NFL draft by the perennially rebuilding Browns. Yelich, meanwhile, embarked on a career season that earned him the NL MVP and helped the Brewers to within a game of their second World Series appearance.
As Yelich was solidifying his case as the NL's top player, Mayfield used his ever-growing stature with Cleveland to stump for his buddy.
He even wore an autographed Yelich Brewers jersey into the stadium for a September game in New York, and after he led the Browns to a comeback win over the Jets -- Cleveland's first since the 2016 season -- Mayfield closed his postgame news conference by saying, "Christian Yelich for NL MVP," and walking out.
"I did (campaign for him). But you know what? I’m not taking any credit," Mayfield said. "He played his way into that one."
Yelich said he had received a head's up from Mayfield going into that game.
"That was cool," Yelich said. "He told me before that day, ‘Wait until you see what I do tomorrow.’ I said, ‘What are you going to do tomorrow?’ ‘Wait and see.’ It’s like, all right.
"Nobody knew he was actually going to come into the game, because Tyrod (Taylor) gets injured and they end up winning their first game in a long time.
"Everything that followed afterwards just added to the special run that we had. We had everything going for us down the stretch."
Not surprisingly, Mayfield was on hand when Yelich learned he won the MVP trophy in mid-November thanks to the Browns having a well-timed bye week.
"Unreal," Mayfield said. "And to be with some of the guys in this locker room was pretty fun. He won MVP. You can’t find the right words to describe that. That’s unreal. It was a lot of fun to be there.
"And, to imagine my bye week lined up with when they announced it, that was pretty special."
Which brings us to Friday's appearance in camp.
“It started off as a joke," Yelich said. "He likes playing baseball. He grew up playing it. I talked to Couns, talked to Mike Attanasio, who talked to his dad, Mark (the team's principal owner), who talked to David (Stearns, president of baseball operations).
"Everybody was on board and thought it was a good idea to break up spring training and have some fun with the guys.”
Being a quarterback, Mayfield obviously has a good arm and is athletic. But as it turns out he played third base, although he was quick to reassure Travis Shaw -- a lifelong Browns fan, by the way -- that he's not in town to steal his job.
"I was actually a decent player in high school," Mayfield said. "I had a few offers out of high school to play baseball but loved football too much. But baseball was my first love, and always will be."
How was his arm?
"Good arm, but I couldn’t throw a strike," he said. "Never pitched."
Yelich thought Mayfield would do "all right" once he does take the field with the Brewers. Mayfield, for his part, didn't seem too worried.
"I grew up dreaming of playing baseball, so it’s pretty crazy becoming friends with Christian Yelich," he said. "It’s pretty fun to be here.
"Riding the coattails of an MVP."
Woodruff making strong bid
The Brewers leave Arizona in just over a week but Counsell said Friday he still has not penciled anyone into his starting rotation beyond Jhoulys Chacín, his announced opening day starter.
“Chacín is in the rotation; that’s where we started this spring,” Counsell said. “We haven’t made any other decisions yet. We will do it before we leave here, certainly, and probably by the middle of the week, next week.”
Other than Chacín, the Brewers have been stretching out six pitchers as starters – Chase Anderson, Zach Davies, Freddy Peralta, Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff, who pitched Friday against San Diego, as well as non-roster invitee Josh Tomlin. Anderson and Davies have been regulars in the rotation in previous seasons and have been aligned behind Chacín in exhibition games but Counsell has not anointed them as starters yet.
Anderson and Davies still have minor-league options remaining, as do the young trio of Peralta, Burnes and Woodruff, so the team’s decision makers have lots of flexibility in assigning rotation spots. And Counsell has made it clear the first five to make the rotation could see changes in the near future.
“We’re almost considering it a six-man rotation,” Counsell said. “It’s going to be five at a time. But we know six guys are going to start a lot of games for us.”
Woodruff certainly is doing his all to make an impression. He pitched five shutout innings against the Padres, allowing two hits and no walks while logging seven strikeouts. In three Cactus League outings, Woodruff has allowed three hits over nine scoreless innings, with four walks and 12 strikeouts.
Of the competition for rotation spots, Woodruff said, “You found out last year it’s going to take a lot of people to get through a full season. People like to call it a big competition, or whatever, but I think we’re all in it together.
“We know everybody is going to have to be used because it’s a long season. Typically, you don’t run out just five guys for 34 starts (each), or whatever it is. You just come out and pitch, and do your job, and the rest will take care of itself. That’s the way I look at it.”